


snow hoonie and the glass palace

by sleepyscoops



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Attempt at Humor, CRACK!!!!, Crack, Dirty Jokes, Dirty Thoughts, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Sexual Humor, What Have I Done, but still mostly crack?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-07
Updated: 2018-09-22
Packaged: 2019-03-27 10:33:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 24,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13879029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepyscoops/pseuds/sleepyscoops
Summary: Once upon a time, there was a boy with hair as black as ebony, and skin as white as snow; and his name was Lee Jihoon (aka Snow Hoonie, even though no one calls him that). A visit from his fairy godparent prompts a trip to the Glass Palace, where King Joshua and King (Queen) Jeonghan resides, for an important quest that involves his true love...Along the way, Jihoon meets several odd characters: an angry forest spirit, a talking alpaca, a pixie wanting to become the greatest martial arts master in all the land, a dragon who grants wishes and many more!Follow his adventures as Jihoon completes his quest - will he find his true love?





	1. once upon a time

**Author's Note:**

> welcome to the jicheol fairytale adventure full of weirdness and crack!
> 
> had a LOT of fun writing this. i'll try my best to update this, hopefully life won't get in the way... so here's a quick one to kick things off to celebrate jicheol week! :D

Once upon a time, there lived a boy with hair as black as ebony, and skin as white as snow. His name was Lee Jihoon, (nicknamed Snow Hoonie, though no one actually called him that) and he grew up with three dwarfs - Mingyu, Wonwoo and Hansol - who protected him fiercely with their lives. The dwarfs had found Jihoon as a baby on the doorstep of their cottage, and raised him into a healthy and happy boy. While the three dwarfs would work at the diamond mine some ways further from their cottage, Jihoon would sleep at home, or wander around in the nearby woods, eating berries and scaring birds away. He never had a worry, or a purpose in this world, with the singular thought that he’d be perfectly happy and cared for as long as he stayed with the three dwarfs.

Mingyu was the dwarf who took care of all their needs, cooking delicious meals, cleaning and fixing the house. Jihoon loved ramen night, when the dwarf would make noodles from scratch, and cook it in a tasty broth. Sometimes, Mingyu would spoon-feed him, while Jihoon sat on his special chair at the dining table, waiting for another mouthful of tasty homemade food. Meanwhile, Wonwoo was the bookish dwarf, spending his time reading all the books in the land. He taught Jihoon many things, like language and magic and photosynthesis. Curious young Jihoon asked many questions, most of which Wonwoo was glad to answer, but when Jihoon asked things about human mating, Wonwoo the dwarf pointed to the _How To Have Sex_ book he’d ‘borrowed’ from the library especially for Jihoon; which the black-haired boy would pore over for hours with a crimson blush on his face until Mingyu smacked him for reading rated things before giving him more food, babying Jihoon even more.

It had always been Mingyu and Wonwoo and Jihoon at first, when traveller dwarf Hansol, world-weary with his expanded view of the land and an open mind; joined them when Jihoon was still a tiny child. Hansol was the one who told Jihoon many stories about the land, like the time he almost drowned in the River of Cola, trying to escape from the civil war of the people in that area. From Hansol, Jihoon had pictured a vast land out there, with different cultures and different people that slightly scared him. He’d never met anyone else apart from the three dwarfs; and though he was curious to know more, he never had the thought to leave this comfortable cottage; thinking that listening to Hansol’s stories was enough. 

Jihoon was happy living with the three dwarfs who spoilt him to no end, and that was that.

One fine day, while the three dwarfs worked at the nearby mine, Jihoon was skipping around in the nearby forest - always remembering to never stray too far from the cottage - singing melodiously, his voice as high as a nightingale’s. He loved the way his voice bounced around the forest in echoes, enchanting all the birds to sleep.

He was practicing his falsettos, belting out a high G when a lanky stranger with a sharp nose, a beauty mole on his face and ridiculous pointy shoes like Rumpelstiltskin’s, walked up to him with happy tears brimming his eyes.

Jihoon’s first instinct was to run off screaming, but this was the first time he’d met someone who was taller than him, so he stayed.

“I heard your beautiful singing, from far away, and I must say, you’re kind of cute and small.” The man said, his bright smile rivalling the sun, almost blinding Jihoon.

Jihoon didn’t like anyone calling him cute, so he crossed his arms across his chest and pulled his lips into a dissatisfied pout.

“My name is Lee Seokmin.” The man knelt onto one knee, and Jihoon immediately flushed. This was exactly like those fairytales Wonwoo had read to him as a child, where the hero would kneel down and propose!

“I would like to have the honour of…”

This was it. Jihoon was going to get married to a random stranger from the forest, exactly like those cliched fairytales. But it felt forced, and he doesn’t even know anything about this person apart from his name! It wouldn’t be a happy marriage, and Jihoon was internally preparing to kick this guy’s butt if he needed to, to get out of the impending proposal.

“....having a high note battle against you.”

Jihoon relaxed, after listening to Seokmin’s request. That, he can do. “Bring it on.” The boy pronounced, rolling his sleeves up to his elbows.

“Brilliant. Just let me warm up my throat first.” Seokmin smiled brightly again (Jihoon wanted to know what brand of toothpaste he used to maintain those impressive pearly whites) as he got back up to his feet, and started some quick vocal exercises.

Assessing his competitor, Jihoon didn’t think that Seokmin looked like the type of person who could hit notes as high as the galaxies. He was confident of his own vocal abilities, having broken several glasses in the past, the reason why Jihoon and the three dwarfs had their own colour-coded plastic sippy cups (Jihoon’s was red, Mingyu’s golden yellow, Wonwoo purple and Hansol’s was green).

“Okay, I’ll start.” Seokmin sang a middle C.

Easy peasy lemon cheesy.

Jihoon went full offence by singing an octave higher, but Seokmin proved to be a worthy opponent as they ascended the scales quicker than Jihoon expected. Wanting to finish the high note battle quickly, Jihoon pulled out his secret weapon: a supersonic dolphin-pitched note that broke glasses and hearts and eardrums, and scared dogs to all corners of the land.

Seokmin crumpled to the ground in defeat, clutching his damaged ears, almost knocked out by Jihoon’s ultra-high note - there was no way that he was going to beat that. The tall stranger bowed humbly to Jihoon, crawling over to kiss his feet.

The boy jumped away in shock. “You’re weird.”

Seokmin grinned, and stood back up, dusting his pants. “I am on a quest, searching for the mighty dragon named Hoshi.”

“Never heard of him.”

“Legend says, if you kiss the dragon, you’ll always get what you want.”

Jihoon scrunched his nose at the idea of kissing a huge. angry, scaly dragon, smoke wisping out of its nostrils. He imagined it wouldn’t be very nice - one would probably be eaten by the creature.

Seokmin bowed, taking his hat off for Jihoon. “I must get going. My destiny awaits.”

“Cool. Laters.” Jihoon quickly dismissed the man, turning his attention to a blackberry bush right next to him, distracted by its succulent fruit.

“When I return, I’ll defeat you in a rap battle.”

“Mmkay.” Jihoon’s mouth was already stuffed full of berries, its juice dripping down his shirt.

Seokmin smiled once more at Jihoon, then hurried away. Suddenly the sky turned grey, and a clap of thunder scared Jihoon out of his skin. It had been a sunny day, and the sudden change in weather could only mean one thing - he’d upset the mighty forest spirit Junhui, which Wonwoo had told him about. A small cloud formed over his head, drenching him in bitingly cold rain water.

“YOU KILLED MY SQUIRREL.” A haunted, angry voice boomed throughout the forest, followed by a sudden gale that swept the small Jihoon off his feet. He landed painfully on his backside at the foot of an oak tree.

“I didn’t even see a squirrel!” Jihoon tried to defend himself, as an unseen force picked him up and slammed him against the tree trunk. He saw stars when he blinked, and a dark silhouette loomed in front of him.

The mighty forest spirit Junhui, in his proper form. He was even more handsome in person, with chiseled features like it had been sculpted by Michelangelo himself.

“YOU KILLED IT WITH YOUR HIGH NOTE. MY SQUIRREL EXPLODED!” The forest spirit roared, his breath smelling of lemons, making Jihoon cringe.

Still half-woozy from his battering against the tree, Jihoon pushed his wet hair back to get a better look at Junhui. “To be honest, I would’ve liked to see that.”

Junhui advanced towards the boy, his long black robes majestically sweeping behind him. There was fury in his dark eyes; he looked like he was ready to consume Jihoon’s soul, like one of those Dementors from Harry Potter.

“What do you have to say for yourself?”

“Look at him!” Junhui held out his hand, showing Jihoon some fragments of rubber. “Airy-poo won’t live again!” He looked like he was ready to cry, making the skies cry too, judging from the ominous dark clouds above.

Jihoon tried not to laugh at Junhui’s squirrel’s name, and the possible fact that Airy-poo had been a balloon shaped like a squirrel.

“Laughing, aren’t we? I’ll curse you, then we’ll see who’s laughing!”

Jihoon quickly adopted a straight face. “I’m sorry for making your squirrel explode.”

Junhui’s expression softened, satisfied with Jihoon’s apology. The brewing storm disappeared, and the sun shone brightly once more, its golden rays trickling between the canopy of the trees.

“Good boy. Have an apple!” The forest spirit reached inside his robes and held out a ruby red apple for Jihoon.

The black-haired boy smiled at the food offer, but hesitated. “Is this poisoned?”

“What? No!” Junhui looked scandalised at Jihoon’s assumption. “I grew it myself. I have like, a whole land of apple trees.”

“‘Kay, thanks.” Jihoon accepted the apple gleefully. “Mingyu could make apple pie or something.” The boy was practically salivating at the idea.

“Do visit someday. Here’s my card.” This time, Junhui held out a neatly printed business card.

_Visit Sunny Apple Fields! Apples all year round!_

Jihoon pocketed the card, already imagining the look on Wonwoo’s face when he finds out that the mighty forest spirit Junhui was also an apple orchard owner. Maybe he’d ask Hansol to go there one day so the four of them could enjoy apple-based delicacies prepared by Mingyu!

“See you!” Junhui disappeared with a wave, and Jihoon hurried back to the cottage, cradling the apple carefully in his hands. The three dwarfs would probably be home for their afternoon siesta after working in the mines the whole morning; so Jihoon could beg Mingyu to make him some pie from the juicy apple.

The cottage was just nearby, and Jihoon could see Hansol watering his precious cactus on the windowsill; and he was excited at the prospect of more food.

In his haste, Jihoon tripped over a weed, and fell down to the earth with a loud thump; the apple in his hand rolling away. His consciousness was slipping, but he could hear worried voices belonging to the three dwarfs surrounding him, before he drowned in darkness.


	2. this is what dreams are made of

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jihoon meets his fairy godparent, and gets a quest...

Jihoon found himself sitting on a rickety bench, surrounded by nothing but white. He was even wearing white himself, his pale skin almost blending into the background.

A flamboyantly dressed man appeared right next to Jihoon, wearing a loud tangerine suit, and there was even a tiny tangerine on top of his head, which made Jihoon hungry. “Finally! I get to meet you, my little Hoon Hoonie. If your hair weren’t black I wouldn’t have seen you!” The man laughed, his mirth echoing in the white space. 

“Am I dead?”

“Honey, no. I’m your Boo.” The man leaned closer towards Jihoon, making kissy faces; and the boy instinctively pushed him away.

Tangerine Man straightened his suit, and adjusted his sitting position, crossing his feet at the ankle. “I’m your fairy godparent. Seungkwan Boo. Boo Seungkwan; whichever works, as long as you get my name right. Remember that.” He introduced himself with a classy accent and a sweeping gesture, holding out his pinky as he spoke, fairy dust falling everywhere.

“You don’t have wings.” Jihoon pointed out bluntly.

“Well, I don’t need them!” Seungkwan huffed, but quickly collected himself before he lost his temper on the black-haired boy. “You’re in a super duper deep sleep, because you knocked your head on the ground when you were running. Didn’t Mingyu tell you not to run in that area? The roots of the trees will trip you up if you’re not careful.”

A fading memory flashed in Jihoon’s confused little mind, Mingyu’s exact words uttered by Seungkwan. Jihoon felt a chill running down his spine; thinking that Seungkwan wasn’t to be taken lightly; but if he was sleeping, this would only be a dream…

“Dreams aren’t real, though.” Jihoon tried to convince himself, swinging his legs leisurely, since they couldn’t reach the ground because the bench was a bit too high.  

“Uhhh….it’s one of those epiphanies! Not everyone gets them; and they’re definitely real.” Seungkwan said adamantly.

When Jihoon didn’t respond - the boy was eyeing the tangerine on Seungkwan’s head hungrily - the fairy took it as a cue to continue. 

“I’m here to tell you about your true love.” Seungkwan announced dramatically, with a grand gesture. There was a faint sound of a fanfare that the fairy had prepared, and fairy glitter floated around in the white area.  

Jihoon glanced at his fairy godparent, blinking once; before he fell to the ground, laughing.

The boy was laughing uncontrollably, rolling all over the floor - the visual representation of ROFL - and Seungkwan facepalmed: his godson was one of those non-believers the senior fairies had warned him against. The tangerine man waited patiently for Jihoon’s mirth to subside, but it didn’t.

“You’ll listen to me because you’re turning twenty-one soon, and you need to find your true love by then.” Seungkwan said in a tone that sounded more annoyed, rather than strict.

“Seventeen. I’m only seventeen.” Jihoon said between hiccups, his face still holding the remnants of his laughter. The boy had never laughed this hard, ever.

“Whatever, age doesn’t matter in love.” Seungkwan huffed impatiently. Why couldn’t he be assigned a starry-eyed, innocent godchild, who’d be thrilled at the idea of true love instead of this 2006 emo-boy lookalike who laughed just at the mere idea of it? Being a fairy godparent was tough - he needed to be patient when faced with people like Jihoon to get his job done.

Seungkwan took a deep breath and tried again. “You’re going to meet your true love soon, anyway.”

“Okayyyy.” Jihoon stifled a giggle. As most humans did, Jihoon had imagined how it would be like being in a relationship; but apart from the three dwarfs, the chance of him meeting another person he’d actually like in the deep forest was almost next to zero. Unless…

“It’s not the any of the dwarfs, is it?”

“Goodness, no. It’s a real human!” Seungkwan looked scandalised at the idea, clutching his chest.

“So who is it?” Jihoon was still curious to know, even though he found the whole concept amusing. This wasn’t a fairytale; true love didn’t exist. How do people fall in love at first sight? Jihoon thought that wasn’t practical - what if that person hates the things you love, then you’d be miserable for the rest of your life…

Jihoon was a picky person, so it’d be a miracle for him to find someone (apart from the three dwarfs) that he can tolerate for the rest of his life. In fact, now even his so-called fairy godparent was irritating him; since he was hesitating to answer Jihoon’s question.

“To be honest, I don’t really know…” Seungkwan picked at the lapel of his tangerine suit, hoping to escape the question. 

Jihoon snorted. “What kind of fairy godparent are you?”

“I’m still a junior! My magic’s limited!” Seungkwan pouted.

“Is that why you don’t have wings?”

Seungkwan was silent for two seconds, looking down at his polished brogues. “...yes.”

Jihoon burst into laughter again - this was definitely one of those weird dreams he’d forget in the morning; but oddly, everything felt too real. He could feel the presence of the sturdy bench underneath him; and the tangerine scent wafting from Seungkwan’s direction was unmistakable. His mirth subsided when he saw Seungkwan’s red face - his fairy godparent was doing his best to contain his anger; then the fairy exhaled deeply, before curling his lips into a patient smile.

“I’ll tell you what I know.” The fairy put a hand on Jihoon’s shoulder. Sensing the weight and warmth of the fairy’s hand, Jihoon’s expression grew serious, and he glanced at Seungkwan.

“His eyes sparkle like constellations when you look at them.”

The black-haired boy held his breath, waiting for more, but Seungkwan shrugged, removing his hand from the boy’s shoulder. “That’s it.”

“Really? This is the worst dream ever. Can I wake up now?” Jihoon threw his hands up in disappointment, then turned away, pouting.

“I’m trying my best here!” Seungkwan pulled out a little tangerine notebook from an inside pocket of his tangerine jacket, and frantically flipped through the pages. “Oh, he has super long eyelashes. Gorgeous eyes. That’s what the Fairy Council told me.”

Jihoon kept quiet, digesting the new details. It sounded really vague, but he could feel his heart beating faster at the thought of actually meeting his true love….

Nah.

“You’ll need to go on a journey to the Glass Palace right by the Crystal Sea.” Seungkwan added, snapping his notebook shut.

“What? Why?” Jihoon whirled around to glare at his fairy godparent, who, of course, had no proper explanation.

“You simply have to go. This is an epiphany dream thingy. So to meet your true love, you need to go to the Glass Palace.” Seungkwan explained patiently.

Jihoon crossed his arms and pouted again, unsatisfied with the fairy’s vague answer. The Crystal Sea was miles away from his comfortable cottage in the forest. Why would he make that tiring journey, when he can stay home and let Mingyu the dwarf feed him delicious food forever? He’d been a homebody for seventeen years; so he can do it for another seventeen more years, and beyond! “I’m not going.”

Seungkwan sighed. “They said you’d be difficult.” He pulled out a cookie, wrapped in a tangerine handkerchief, from one of his pockets. “Have a cookie.”

Jihoon was never one to reject food, and he was hungry, so he accepted the snack. “What flavour is this?”

“That’s for you to find out.” Seungkwan smiled enigmatically, trying to hide the cookie’s original package: Enchanted Brainwashing Cookie, Chocolate and Tangerine Flavoured!

The fairy godparent needed a promotion, and for that, he needed Jihoon to meet his true love. Then he’d get his own (preferably tangerine) wings, and more powerful magic, and maybe meet his own true love and settle down…

Jihoon didn’t question anything further, and bit into the cookie, tasting rainbows and sugar and tangerines; then the whiteness around him faded.

* * *

Jihoon woke up in a glass coffin; the three dwarfs sitting by him in a silent vigil, holding candles. 

“You idiots, I’m not dead yet!” The boy tapped the glass, shocking the three dwarfs. With his pale, pale skin, Jihoon looked like he was rising from the dead...

“He’s a zombie!” Hansol dropped his candle, rushing to hide behind Wonwoo, who wasn’t much taller than he was. Mingyu stamped out the fire that started from the candle Hansol dropped, but got his pants on fire, so Wonwoo splashed some water onto him from the pitcher nearby, as Hansol screamed.

Amidst the chaos, Jihoon managed to escape the claustrophobic space of the glass coffin, dusting his clothes and immediately getting to his feet, which felt like jelly after days of lying down.

“You’ve been unconscious for three days, so we assumed…” Wonwoo said, barely shaken by the whole commotion. Mingyu was comforting a frightened Hansol, who didn’t dare to look at Jihoon, now that the boy was towering intimidatingly over the three dwarfs. 

“Guys, I have to tell you something.” Jihoon sat cross-legged on the floor, so that he was level with the three dwarfs. He felt strangely liberated, like there was less worries with himself; and there was an odd taste of tangerine at the back of his throat. Maybe that deep sleep was what he needed - now his thoughts were clear than ever, and he knew, that his destiny was only for one thing…

“I need to go to the Glass Palace.”

Wonwoo’s eyes became wider at Jihoon’s revelation, but Hansol kicked up a fuss.

“Then go, zombie!” Hansol made shooing gestures, still convinced that Jihoon was a zombie.

“He’s not a zombie, Hansol.” Mingyu said, restraining the other dwarf from hopping onto Jihoon in attack.

“I’m not.”

“You won’t eat my brains?” The youngest dwarf looks at the boy uncertainly. Jihoon nodded gently, reaching over to pat Hansol’s back in assurance.

Wonwoo adjusted his glasses, approaching Jihoon. “Why do you need to go to the Glass Palace?”

“My fairy godparent told me to.” Jihoon remembered his dream vividly, though he couldn’t explain why.

“Then you have to go.” Wonwoo said firmly, shooting a knowing look at Mingyu. The bookish dwarf believed in the magic of fairies, and he knew that only chosen people went there for one purpose only: to get blessings from the two Kings of their land when they met their true love. Wonwoo had only heard such stories, where the Fairy Council, who worked closely with the two Kings, would send fairies to soulmates, and somehow make them meet if they hadn’t. Getting blessings from the two Kings was an honour, where all the creatures in the land would be informed of the union of the soulmates with a grand celebration that lasted three moons.

Jihoon was one of the lucky ones, the rare chosen ones. Wonwoo knew that there was something special about the boy; and that his fate was going to be amazing. A little tinge of jealousy pricked at Wonwoo’s heart - he was just a measly dwarf, so having one of those fairy-epiphany dreams would be almost impossible for him, but at least he had Mingyu. It was the reason why Jihoon was out for several days; like Wonwoo had suspected, and there was no time to lose, no time to postpone Jihoon’s journey to the Glass Palace.

“We’ll need to prepare you for your trip.” Wonwoo walked over to his shelf of books, hoping that there would be useful information for Jihoon.

“I’ll make you food.” Mingyu sensed the urgency in Wonwoo’s deep voice, and immediately hustled over to the kitchen, pulling out his pots and pans.

“I guess I’ll teach you how to navigate.” Hansol ceded, searching for his precious compass by the bedside table.

Jihoon felt grateful that the three dwarfs were going to help him without further questioning. He had been sheltered all his life, and there was a weird warm feeling in his gut, the excitement of getting a chance to see the world. He’d only ever heard of stories from Hansol, and maybe now he’d get to tell stories of his own.

Mingyu was making bread, while Wonwoo was looking up books on weather and travelling. Jihoon was going to be independent from the three dwarfs on his lone journey, and that made him tear up slightly.

“I’ll help you…” Hansol said, returning with his compass and several maps, a neutral expression on his face. “...as long as you don’t eat my brains.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope that was an okay chapter; just a warm-up before hoon goes on his adventure! ^^  
> also maybe it wasn't as much crack as the first chapter >,< oh well. 
> 
> feedback would be nice uwu and thank you for reading! :)


	3. adventure time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk guys i feel like this is getting less funny...but i guess i tried? hmmm.  
> but anyway enter stage right: alpaca!cheol :D  
> sorry for not updating this in a while. work and life gets in the way but i'm doing my best :)
> 
> enjoy~

“Be careful, Jihoon!” Mingyu called out as Jihoon hoisted his bag – that he’d borrowed from Hansol – onto his shoulder. It was packed with a week’s worth of food, a few changes of clothes, his copy of the _Complete Illustrated Kama Sutra_ (in case he got bored), and Hansol’s precious compass kit. 

The three dwarfs had spent all day yesterday helping Jihoon prepare for his all-important trip that he didn’t really understand why he had to go. Every time he thought about skipping the trip, there’d be a subtle taste of tangerine at the back of his throat. There wasn’t tangerine in the little cottage, so it was surprising that the taste lingered, since the last time Jihoon remembered eating tangerines was during the Lunar New Year, when Hansol ordered ten whole crates of the fruit. The four of them had eaten enough tangerines for a lifetime – even the word was banned in the household.

That morning, Jihoon had woken up late after a nightmare involving tangerines, and he knew he simply had to leave. It was weird, having no proper motivation for a quest; like something important was missing… and no, it had nothing to do with their tangerine diet.

Jihoon dressed quietly in his most comfortable clothes – a dark shirt and matching pants, as the three dwarfs watched him from their respective spots: Mingyu in the kitchen, packing food into Jihoon’s backpack; Wonwoo on the couch with a book in his lap, and Hansol by the windowsill, watering his cactus. There was some sort of tension in the air, and the unusual quietness unsettled Jihoon.

“Time to go.” The black-haired boy said quietly, shuffling over to the kitchen to grab his backpack. The three dwarfs followed Jihoon to the door, somehow nervous letting the boy roam the earth on his own. But a quest was a quest. It was fate, written in the stars. Jihoon was destined for this, even though he didn’t think he was fully prepared. Oh, to leave the comfortable home he’d known forever…Jihoon glanced at the cottage he’d lived in his whole life. It wasn’t too late to quit this quest – there was no absolute reason for him to go to the Glass Palace, right? – but the sharp taste of tangerines hit the back of his throat, as if telling him to go.

“Write to us, won’t you?” Wonwoo asked, adjusting his glasses. He was ready to write a book on Jihoon’s quest to find his true love – he already had a first draft prepared; asking all the details about Jihoon’s epiphany dream thing where he met his fairy godparent, though he didn’t tell Jihoon anything why all of this was happening, leaving the boy confused. Jihoon would know in due time, anyway, if he didn’t know it already. Wonwoo needed constant communication with the boy so that he could get a final manuscript posted to publishers by the time Jihoon completed his quest. Man, he’d be rolling around in gold with that exclusive story – he could get a mansion for himself and Mingyu, and Hansol could live in the summer house with his cactus.

“I’ll try.” Jihoon didn’t think it was possible, and he wasn’t going to do it anyway since he hated writing letters.

“Come home soon!” Hansol ran over towards Jihoon, hugging his leg. “Do you really have to go?”

“Yes. My zombie comrades await.” The black-haired boy made a face, scaring the dwarf away. Hansol skittered back to hide behind Mingyu as Jihoon let out a laugh, walking down the cobbled pathway that led away from home into the forest. 

“Bye Jihoon!” Mingyu really looked like a concerned father sending his son off, wearing his plaid apron, waving his embroidered handkerchief as Jihoon walked past the cottage gates.  

Jihoon felt a lump form in his throat, feeling bittersweet that he was leaving his childhood home for a quest. He turned back to face the cottage, expecting the three dwarfs to be standing by the gate tearfully, waiting for his silhouette to disappear between the thick foliage, but no one was there anymore. They’d moved on with their daily life, like nothing had happened… he could see Hansol by the windowsill, already watering his cactus again. 

_Focus on the quest, Jihoon. Focus on the quest, just go to the Glass Palace….and then what?_

Jihoon couldn’t think of the exact reason why he was heading to the Glass Palace – it was like there was a hole in his memory every time he thought of it. He shook his head, then pressed on forward: he’ll worry about it when he gets there.

The black-haired boy set towards the east, slowly leaving the tiny cottage and the three dwarfs behind. The clearing became thicker with undergrowth as he trudged deeper into the forest, eating apples that he picked straight off from the lower branches of the trees. There was a fluttery feeling in his chest as he went further away from the cottage; the excitement of finally getting a chance to see the world.

The forest spanned far and wide, and there were apple trees everywhere – had Jihoon and the three dwarfs been living in Junhui’s apple orchard all along? Jihoon was full just from the apples he’d snacked on all day, and stocked some in his backpack, just in case. It took him the whole day to make it about halfway through the forest/orchard, and Jihoon didn’t even see one soul.

He started singing as he went along, and his supersonic dolphin falsettos invited a thunderstorm (courtesy of the forest spirit Junhui); soon, he was drenched all over.

When night finally fell, he climbed up on one of the ubiquitous apple trees, because Wonwoo told him there’d be bears in the forest looking for prey. He was trying to make himself comfortable on the narrow branch of the tree, when the strong scent of tangerines rushed into his nose.

That was odd – there had been so many apple trees stretching on for miles, and not a single tangerine plant. The tangerine scent became much potent, almost burning Jihoon’s nostrils, and it somehow made Jihoon’s mouth water – he was already hungry again.

With a dramatic poof and a smattering of glittery fairy dust, Seungkwan appeared, poised on the edge of the branch, dusting off his impeccable tangerine suit; a warm tangerine glow surrounding him.

“Fairy Godparent Boo Seungkwan!” Jihoon gasped in surprise, wide-eyed at the man’s dramatic appearance. He’d never even met this man in real life, but he seemed familiar, even surprising himself when he uttered the man’s full name.

“That’s right; I’m your Boo.” Seungkwan smiled proudly at his godchild. “Good that you remember me. How was the first day?”

Jihoon had a painful flashback of that day – right when he stopped singing, so did the rain, then he’d tripped into a muddy pothole and had gotten dirty all over. He’d gotten shat on by a flock of uncultured pigeons; then he’d unleashed his anger on a poor tree, hitting it over and over, crying because he wanted to go back home. The world (especially the forest spirit and apple orchard owner Junhui) seemed to be against him that day. But deep down, he strengthened his resolve, because he knew, he needed to complete his journey to the Glass Palace.

The boy looked at his fairy godparent in anticipation. “Is this the part where you take sympathy on me and poof me straight to the Glass Palace?”

Seungkwan shook his head. “Uh-uh. No can do.”

“But my feet are tired, they’re gonna fall off anytime.” Jihoon complained, reaching over to massage his toes. What was the use of having a fairy godparent if they weren’t going to help you?

“You’ve got to go on this journey, Hoon Hoonie.” Seungkwan leaned closer towards his godchild, patting his head; while the boy made a face at the affectionate nickname. “From there you’ll meet new people and learn new things – the journey itself is the adventure!”  A tangerine light brightened up their immediate surroundings, as if to emphasise Seungkwan’s point.

Jihoon yawned, unfazed by the whole thing. “Inspiring. Now shut up, I’m going to sleep.” He closed his eyes, hoping that Seungkwan would poof away soon, since he was not going to help.

“Won’t you fall off?” The tangerine fairy peered down the tree – it seemed like a long fall, since Jihoon had climbed up really high. The branch they were sitting on swayed haphazardly as a gust of wind swept past them, and Seungkwan held on tight, a concerned expression painting his features.

“I tied myself to the tree. I learnt that trick from _The Hunger Games_.” Jihoon said proudly, gesturing towards the rope around his waist that secured him against the thick trunk of the apple tree.

Seungkwan blinked once and nodded like he knew what Jihoon was talking about (he didn’t) as the boy hugged his backpack for comfort.

“Okay. Good night, my little Hoon Hoonie.” Seungkwan leaned over and pecked the boy’s cheek. “Shall I sing you a lullaby?”

“No.” Jihoon wiped the imprint of Seungkwan’s lips off his cheek with a disgusted expression. He crossed his arms and closed his eyes, trying to get some well-deserved sleep after an exhausting day.

[“In Jeju, they eat watermelons dipped in soybean paste…” ](https://twitter.com/sleepyscoops/status/991335046119276545)

Within two seconds, Jihoon dozed off, dreaming of the idyllic island famous for its tangerines and self-governance that his fairy godparent was crooning about. But a moment later, he was rudely awakened by Seungkwan, who stopped singing, and was now poking his cheek.

“By any chance, do you have any food?” Seungkwan asked, with his finger still poking Jihoon’s squishy tofu cheek.

“I’m not sharing mine!” Jihoon clutched his bag closer to his chest. His food was his, and his only. And besides, that wasn’t a valid reason to wake someone up!

“Fine! See if I help you if you get into trouble!” Seungkwan huffed, and disappeared in a blink.

The dark night suddenly turned cold, as a gust of wind blew through the trees, and Jihoon felt very, very alone. 

* * *

Day 2 of being away from home, and Jihoon had been walking all morning, glad that nothing bad had happened to him, apart from a hole in his shoe that had emerged from nowhere. He’d left the safety of the shaded canopy of the forest/apple orchard, entering a clear grassland that stretched on for miles. In the distance were the mountains, and beyond that (if Wonwoo and Hansol were right) would be the sea. There was still a lot of ground to cover, so there was no time to lose.

Jihoon quickly adapted to the new terrain, trudging between the tall grass in the savannah. The sun was beating down his neck intensely, and he felt like a piece of barbecue meat as the sun burned the pale skin of his neck. He dug in his backpack for the sun potion that Wonwoo had specially concocted for times like this, slathering about half the pot onto his body. If there was one thing that Jihoon was proud of, and it was his snow white skin.

He stopped underneath a small tree when his tummy growled. Mingyu had prepared enough bread and cheese and jam for a week – nothing as luxurious as the hot meals Jihoon was accustomed to back at the cottage. At least he had enough to sustain himself through the journey, especially after a manic apple picking and snacking during the first day – his pack was loaded with apples to last him for weeks.

“Hiya.”

Jihoon turned around, looking for the source of the voice, and was shocked to find an alpaca grinning at him, peeking from behind the tree. The animal had soft white fur, and seemed to be out of place in the grass plains. Didn’t alpacas live in the mountains or something? And they certainly couldn’t speak….

The alpaca opened his mouth and spoke. “I see you have food.”

“OH MY GOD A TALKING LLAMA.” Jihoon almost dropped his food, backing away as fast and as far as he could from the animal.

“Actually, I’m an alpaca.”

“But you’re too big to be an alpaca.” That bit, Jihoon knew – Wonwoo had strongly emphasised upon the difference between llamas and alpacas for Jihoon’s education. In fact, the dwarf had stuck a huge chart detailing the differences of the two animals on the ceiling above Jihoon’s bed, so the boy went to sleep with llama versus alpaca facts in his head.

“I guess my mother fed me well.” The so-called alpaca looked smug.

“Good for you.” Jihoon said. The alpaca was much bigger than him, hence the misidentification. He was even as big as a camel, with incredibly long eyelashes that should really be renamed eye-staches. Still, Jihoon was fixated on one fact - “But you’re still a TALKING ALPACA.”

“Can I have some food?” The alpaca trotted towards Jihoon. “Please?”

“I’m not sharing.” Jihoon clutched his food close to his chest, scared that the alpaca would steal his bread.

“Pretty please?” The alpaca made sad puppy-dog eyes, batting its impressively long eyelashes. “With a cherry on top?”

Jihoon blinked once, fixing his gaze on the alpaca’s beautiful eyes; then as if he was hypnotized, he held out some bread for the animal. “Please don’t eat my fingers.”

The alpaca nibbled off the piece of bread daintily, keeping his eyes on Jihoon. His tongue tickled Jihoon’s fingers at times, but the boy didn’t dare move. Jihoon waited for the alpaca to finish off the food, staring at the alpaca – the two-way eye contact made him feel fluttery (he blamed it on the alpaca’s gorgeous eyes). A certain tension was tangible in the air – Jihoon wanted it to linger, but he wanted to diffuse it, too because the whole thing seemed awkwardly ridiculous.

This was the first contact he’d had with someone else since he started his journey, and he was feeling a mixture of emotions – overwhelmed by the fact that there was a beautiful talking alpaca eating his lunch; shy because he wasn’t sure how to act around a stranger; and maybe a little bit embarrassed because there was something sensual about the way the alpaca ate the bread directly off his hand, peeking at him from underneath his ridiculously long eyelashes. It made Jihoon feel self-conscious; and a crimson blush crept up his pale neck.

The alpaca licked his lips when he was done, which felt like forever to Jihoon. “Thanks for the food. My name is Seungcheol.”

“Huh, that’s a really nice name. I thought it would be Bob, or Fluffy.” Jihoon eyed the alpaca’s fur, wondering how it would feel like. The soft texture would be very difficult to maintain, Jihoon supposed, and the alpaca’s fur even shone under the bright afternoon sun. Maybe it was a magical alpaca, that’s why it could speak, Jihoon thought.

“You can call me Fluffy, if you want to.”

Jihoon shrugged, deciding not to. Seungcheol was a far better name, anyway; even though it didn’t really suit the alpaca because it was a human’s name.  

“Isn’t it hot?” The boy wiped some sweat off his brow, still trying to ease into the idea of a talking alpaca. He reached into his bag for some more food, since Seungcheol had eaten his lunch, but he stared at the bread, suddenly thinking about his Fairy Godparent Boo Seungkwan, who’d asked for food last night, but Jihoon had refused to share.

Well, too bad his fairy godparent didn’t have pretty, hypnotizing eyes like Seungcheol did. Or maybe he does, but Jihoon didn’t notice. But it seemed nice to share, and there was this warm feeling in his gut…or was it the weather? Either way, he felt jittery being around the alpaca.

“Well, it’s always hot here in the plains because there aren’t many trees around. It makes me sweat a lot, and I get hungry easily. Are you gonna finish that?” Jihoon blinked at how talkative the alpaca was. Maybe those pink berries he’d eaten at the edge of the forest had hallucinatory effects. Maybe there wasn’t really a hungry talking alpaca next to him, and it was just a figment of his imagination…

“Please…?” Another attack from Seungcheol’s stupidly beautiful brown eyes, and Jihoon was entranced, handing over his portion of bread to the alpaca.

The alpaca gobbled it up, like he hadn’t eaten in weeks; and was about to thank the boy again when he saw that he was alone between the tall grass. Jihoon was already a distance away, trying to leave the area quickly, and forget that he’d met a talking alpaca who made his nether regions feel weird things.

“Hey, where are you going?” Seungcheol scrambled to his feet (hooves) when he spied Jihoon trudging away from him. The alpaca caught up to the boy in no time, who tried to stride away as best as he could, but to no avail.

“Away from you.” Jihoon muttered, trying to ignore the whole episode. No way there’d be a talking alpaca in the grass plains, and Jihoon thought that the faster he left the place, he’d get rid of Seungcheol the alpaca too.

Seungcheol skidded to a halt in front of Jihoon, blocking his way. “You shared your food with me. We’re buddies now.” The alpaca smiled, and Jihoon noticed some jam smeared on his front teeth. He was close enough to lean in and lick it off – never waste Mingyu’s homemade jam, it was the best in the universe – but the fleeting thought instantly disappeared when the alpaca’s tongue swept over his teeth; the jam gone in an instant.

“You can tell me anything. I’m your buddy!” Seungcheol smiled – damn, how could an alpaca have such a pretty smile – and Jihoon’s heart softened.

“I kind of have a quest…” The boy looked to the ground, kicking some dirt, which turned out to be an empty snail’s shell, and his kick sent it flying into the distance.  

“Oh, everyone’s going on quests. I wanna go on one too!” The alpaca whined – if he had arms, he’d probably cross them huffily – and he stomped his front hoof in dissatisfaction. But the alpaca’s expression brightened up instantly with an idea. “Can I come with you?”

“I’m going to a very, very far place.” Truth. His final destination was a few days away by foot. “You might get tired, because it’s a long journey.” Jihoon tried to use The Calm Mingyu voice to placate the alpaca, but it wasn’t really working; he sounded like he was constipated.

“That’s why I have four legs! I’ll get you there two times faster, because you have two and I have four…” Seungcheol reasoned excitedly, bouncing up and down.

“It’s beyond the mountains.” Jihoon pointed to the looming mountains in the distance.

“EVEN BETTER! I’m made for that kind of terrain!”

The boy couldn’t think of a counter argument to convince the alpaca otherwise, then he made the mistake of looking into the alpaca’s beautiful eyes. Jihoon felt worthless looking at those captivating dark orbs, pulling him in deeper –

_His eyes sparkle like constellations when you look at them…_ Seungkwan’s voice echoed in Jihoon’s mind.

Nah. 

To Jihoon, Seungcheol’s eyes were more like cola, a shade of brown so dark it resembled the beverage, and the way the sun reflected in them reminded him of the carbonated fizz of the drink, tickling him here, there and everywhere. Jihoon would gladly drink in Seungcheol’s gorgeous cola eyes all day…

“Fine, let’s go.” Jihoon gripped the straps of his backpack tighter, and turned in the direction of the mountains.

“Yippee!” Seungcheol squealed, rubbing his furry head against Jihoon’s arm. The boy immediately sprung away at the soft touch – yes, Seungcheol’s fur was as soft and silky as he’d imagined; but he was unfamiliar with the sudden skinship.

Apart from the three dwarfs, Jihoon wasn’t accustomed to interaction with other people (or alpacas) so he wasn’t sure how to feel about having company on his quest. Eventually he’d meet his true love (cough) on the way to the Glass Palace – would Seungcheol the alpaca stick around then?

As they trudged between the tall grass, Seungcheol started singing out of sheer happiness, and Jihoon felt that the alpaca seemed more human that he’d thought.

Oh, this was going to be an interesting trip. 

* * *

That day, they barely made it halfway through the plains, since Seungcheol kept pulling them into the wrong direction – with every step they took, it seemed like the mountains were getting further away. Jihoon already trusted the alpaca fully – who boasted that he knew every inch of the plains – but regretted it when he noticed that they’d been circling the same tree for hours. He was the one with the compass; why was he even listening to a talking alpaca? 

The sky soon turned a dark navy colour, scattered with twinkling stars. They decided to camp under the lone tree smack in the middle of the plains (the one they’d been circling all day, like some kind of weird ritual). Jihoon sat down on the hard ground, stretching his tired toes, while the alpaca made himself comfortable right beside the boy, close enough that his soft fur tickled against the boy’s pale skin.

“Oh, the stars are beautiful.” Seungcheol sighed, looking up at the night sky. Jihoon followed suit, and his jaw dropped at the scenery. He’d never seen the stars, always protected by the dwarfs in the thick forest/orchard, the tall trees always blocking out the night sky. The panorama was breathtaking, the twinkling stars aligning themselves into pictures – constellations – telling stories that Hansol had often told him.

“Yeah, I do that when I see the stars. So pretty.” Seungcheol opened his mouth in an exaggerated awe, trying to mimic Jihoon, hoping for a laugh from the boy.

“I’ve never seen them before.” Jihoon admitted, blinking at the majestic night sky. There was more to the world that he thought of, and sitting here looking at the stars, he suddenly felt so small and insignificant. There were people and magic talking alpacas out there, living their lives with some kind of purpose. Jihoon had been freeloading off the three hardworking dwarfs his whole life, and he supposed that this quest to the Glass Palace was what he was meant for. Maybe Fairy Godparent Boo Seungkwan's words last night - something about the journey being the adventure - weighed some truth to it. 

“That one’s the Big Dipper!” Seungcheol exclaimed, pointing to the sky with his hoof. Jihoon broke out of his thoughts and looked up to the tangle of stars decorating the canvas of the dark sky, trying to spy the constellation that Seungcheol had pointed out. The alpaca goes on to describe a few more constellations, while Jihoon oohed and ahhed at the little facts Seungcheol was telling him. Seungcheol glanced at the boy sitting with ease right beside him, smiling. If he had hands, he’d definitely reach out and pat the boy’s head as a gesture of fondness – barely one day of meeting him, but Seungcheol already found Jihoon precious.

Company was nice, if you were with the right people.

They admire the constellations in comfortable silence for a while, enjoying each other’s quiet company. A gust of wind suddenly blew through the plains, bringing a slight chill, and Jihoon shivered, automatically wrapping his arms around himself to keep warm.

“I-I’m gonna make a fire.” Jihoon said, his teeth chattering. Theoretically, he knew how to make a fire – he’d seen Mingyu do it millions of times before, so it would be easy, right? Jihoon dug into his backpack and pulled out a big box of matches.

“Can you help me collect some dry wood?” Jihoon figured that Seungcheol could at least be useful – that’s what buddies are for.

“I don’t have fingers. Can’t pick things up.” Seungcheol lifted a hoof up to illustrate his point. “But can you imagine the things I can do with my mouth?”

_Chapter Nine, Oral Sex._

Jihoon blushed at the sudden thought, and hurried off to collect firewood by himself. Idiot Jihoon, he’d read too much on sex, to have illicit thoughts around an alpaca. He tried to distract himself by counting to a thousand in Spanish, as he collected twigs for his little campfire, trying to ignore Seungcheol, who was probably off _doing things with his mouth_ , not that he cared much _._ A gale was brewing, whipping through Jihoon’s dark hair – the wind so strong that Jihoon thought he’d be swept up by it, probably all the way to the Glass Palace.

When Jihoon had collected enough sticks, he returned to his spot. Seungcheol’s nowhere to be seen, but Jihoon barely had time to worry about that, the fine hairs on his arms were raised; his body’s natural attempt to keep warm. His fingers were trembling when he tried to pick up the matchbox; he was even breathing out little puffs of air, that was how cold it was. Surprisingly, the temperature in the plains dropped down drastically at night, and Jihoon remembered Wonwoo complaining about climate change.

The boy wasted half the box of matches trying to light up the bundle of sticks he’d collected. His teeth were chattering; his fingers turning blue – Jihoon cried out in triumph when a little flame ignited, and he was on his knees, shielding the flame with his body, hoping that the fire would still burn, but taking care not to burn himself. The small fire grew as Jihoon fed more branches to it, and an orange glow lit up the dark surroundings.

“I’m back!” Seungcheol appeared from nowhere, dropping two twigs from his mouth by Jihoon’s side.

The sudden whoosh of wind the alpaca brought upon his arrival snuffed out the tiny fire Jihoon was trying to protect; and as everything turned dark and cold once more, the boy let out a string of curses.

“…sorry?” A meek voice floated out from the darkness.

“Where are you?” I can’t see you.” Jihoon scrabbled blindly in the dark, trying to reach for the alpaca. The darkness unsettled him, because Hansol had told him too many stories about things that went bump in the dark. He was cold and he was scared, and the only person (animal?) around was Seungcheol, unless there were other creepy things sneaking around…

“Right next to you. Your skin’s so white, it’s practically a beacon.” Jihoon felt soft fur brushing by his cheek. “Sorry about your fire.” Seungcheol apologised again, his voice actually sounding human, becoming a small comfort for the upset boy sitting by him.  

“I can’t find my matches.” Jihoon sighed, hugging his knees. A chill wind blew throughout the plains, and the boy had a fleeting thought that he was going to die of hypothermia out here before he even reached his destination to complete his quest.

Fairy Godparent Boo Seungkwan, where art thou?

“I have night vision. I can try finding them!” Seungcheol chirped up confidently.

“R-really?”

“…no.” The alpaca said quietly.

A talking alpaca with night vision would be too much – Jihoon thought he was in some kind of dream limbo (again), but everything felt too real: the cold, cold night, and the contrasting heat radiating from the alpaca beside him. The boy exhaled deeply in disappointment – night two of his journey and things were already going wrong.

Soft fur brushed against Jihoon’s cheek – Seungcheol was making himself comfortable next to Jihoon, sharing his warmth. His thick, soft fur was an advantage for him in the cold weather, and the alpaca took pity in his shivering companion, besides, he felt bad for extinguishing the fire Jihoon had worked so hard to make.

“Maybe we could cuddle.” Seungcheol’s voice was soft and husky, sending tingles down Jihoon’s spine.

The boy could do nothing more, so he let his guard down after a long day; settling back against the warmth of Seungcheol’s soft fur. The alpaca leaned his chin against Jihoon’s head gently – he wished he could reach out and hold the poor boy properly so they could share body heat.

It was a cold night, but in each other’s company, Seungcheol and Jihoon were warm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kwannie's Jeju song, if you missed it: [ HERE! ](https://twitter.com/sleepyscoops/status/991335046119276545)
> 
> Feedback would be nice owo


	4. travelling together is better

“So hot.”

“So freakin’ hot.”

“I just wanna take my clothes off.”

Jihoon tried to block out all of Seungcheol’s (suggestive) words, stopping himself from pointing out that he wasn’t even wearing clothes; it was his luxurious thick white fur that kept him warm under the heat of the sun. They were traipsing towards the end of the plains, where they could clearly see the green grass meeting the rocks at the foot of the mountains that loomed before them. What used to be greenish-blue blobs decorating the landscape in the distance was now towering before them – a steep climb to the snow-capped top to get to the other side, where other kinds of terrain awaited them before they’d make it to the Glass Palace.

It was scorching hot, so Jihoon had taken his own shirt off, wrapping it haphazardly around his head like a makeshift turban to cover his dark hair. Now his snow white skin was exposed to the sun, turning slightly red after prolonged exposure from the sun, even if he’d applied a bit of Wonwoo’s sun potion. 

“Can I lick your sweat?”

Jihoon whirled to face the alpaca, a horrified look on his face. What was with this bloody animal and his sexual innuendos?

Seungcheol already had his tongue lolling out of his mouth, reaching for a single drop of sweat rolling down Jihoon’s chest. The boy instinctively swatted the alpaca away with his shirt, making the alpaca jut out his lower lip in a dissatisfied pout. 

“I’m thirsty.” Seungcheol whined, as if that was the only explanation he had for his behaviour.

“And you think it’s okay to lick my sweat?”

“That’s how they do it to survive in the jungle so that they don’t die of dehydration.”

More technicalities, since they were actually in the plains, but Jihoon didn’t bother to correct Seungcheol. He already felt dumb enough to be arguing with a talking alpaca.

“You don’t want me to die, do you? No one else can replace me as the bestest travel buddy this side of the Crystal Sea.” Seungcheol added indignantly.  

Jihoon scrabbled in his bag and pulled out an apple, shoving it into Seungcheol’s mouth to shut him up. The alpaca immediately started eating it, chewing on it whole with his mouth open, and juice dripped down his chin, slightly staining his white fur.   

Jihoon watched Seungcheol as he gobbled the apple down.  “You’re a messy eater.”

“Sorry. Don’t have hands.” Seungcheol slobbered, his mouth full of apple.

Jihoon shook his head, wondering if he had to put up with this kind of behaviour until he reached the Glass Palace.  But he had to admit, even if Seungcheol appeared idiotic sometimes, he still found it adorable.

They made it to the edge of the plains at the end of the day, beginning their trek up the mountains, where the grass that carpeted the ground turned to grey, crumbly rocks. Soon, the sun slipped behind the mountains, turning their surroundings dark. There was no use trying to continue their journey, so they settled under a small tree conveniently placed nearby, that made up the scarce foliage of the mountains.

This time, Jihoon successfully built a small fire as Seungcheol watched; then they sat down next to each other, watching the little flame burn, barely providing any proper warmth.

Jihoon turned to the alpaca. “What were you doing in the plains, anyway?”

“I got lost.” Seungcheol made the saddest face that almost moved Jihoon to tears. Poor not-so-little talking alpaca, lost in the plains – what would’ve happened if Jihoon hadn’t found him?

“I’m lost, too.” A pipsqueak voice floated up from right by Seungcheol’s side, sending the alpaca jumping away in shock. A tiny little pixie flew up from between pile of rocks, zipping around Jihoon and Seungcheol curiously, inspecting their faces, his luminous wings buzzing loudly.  

“Hey, stop!” Jihoon was getting annoyed at the pixie, swatting him away when he got too close to his face. The back of his hand hit the pixie, sending the creature flying straight into Seungcheol’s nostril, his torso immediately getting stuck. Only his backside and legs were exposed, ridiculously protruding out of the hole.

Of course, Seungcheol started to panic, jumping around like mad; as the pixie stuck in his nose struggled to escape, his little feet kicking around.

“You’re getting in deeper inside my nose!” Seungcheol screamed, trying to snort the pixie out with a mighty exhale; but he was still jammed inside his nostril.

“Jihoonie, help!” The alpaca’s cola eyes were pleading desperately. “Please.”

Jihoon had absolutely no idea what to do – he might hurt the tiny creature if he simply grabbed his legs and yanked him out of Seungcheol’s nose. Besides, it would look like a scene from a really bad sitcom – a boy pulling a pixie out of an alpaca’s nose. The whole episode was so outrageous that Jihoon couldn’t help himself and burst out laughing, his mirth echoing throughout the darkness of the night. Meanwhile, Seungcheol was trying to force the pixie out of his nose by snorting really, really hard, but to no avail – the creature was destined to be stuck in his nostril for a little while more.

Jihoon was doubled down in laughter, slapping his knee repeatedly, continuing to laugh whenever he looked up to see the pixie stuck in Seungcheol’s nose. “Jihoonie, it’s not funny!” Seungcheol was disgruntled, stomping his hoof on the ground. Muffled sounds came from his nose – the pixie seemed to agree with him that the whole situation was not ridiculously hilarious. 

“Don’t talk inside me. Your voice sounds echo-ey, it tickles.” The alpaca chided the pixie, his own voice coming out nasal from the blockage. For someone who had a live creature stuck up his nose (literally), Seungcheol was even noisier than a kookaburra.

Seungcheol’s comment made the pixie struggle even more, kicking his legs even harder, hoping to escape the horrific cavern of Seungcheol’s nose.

“Stop struggling, you’re hurting me!” The alpaca cried, tears streaming from his eyes; and it hurt Jihoon’s heart to see the alpaca in pain, yet he was still laughing at the pickle they were in.

More stifled sounds came from Seungcheol’s nose.

“What’s that? You’re suffocating in there?”

Seungcheol the talking alpaca was having a bloody conversation with a poor pixie that was stuck in his nostril. How he was able to decipher the pixie’s words was beyond Jihoon’s imagination, as he giggled the last of his laughter away, starting to feel sympathy for both alpaca and pixie caught in an odd predicament. First meetings have never been more awkward…

“Fine, fine, I’ll help.” Jihoon walked over to the alpaca, still smiling. He hadn’t had a good laugh like he just had, busting his guts, and his cheek muscles were starting to ache. He started to reach out for the pixie’s legs half-heartedly, but right at that moment, Seungcheol let out an almighty sneeze, sending the pixie stuck in his nose flying off, free from Seungcheol’s nostril.

“Oh, yuck.” The pixie landed a considerable distance away on the ground; his head and torso fully covered in mucous. He tried to wipe it off, but the sticky mucous clung to his body like thick glue.  A booger the size of Jihoon’s thumb was stuck to the pixie’s head, and Jihoon started to laugh once more at the pixie’s misery.

“Sorry!” Seungcheol hurried over and licked the pixie clean from top to toe with a generous flick of his tongue. Jihoon stopped laughing, though his smile never left his face, watching the alpaca lick the tiny pixie several more times, washing the disgusting snot away.

(Jihoon suddenly felt that also wanted to be licked by Seungcheol. It was a weird fleeting thought that snapped away quickly, replaced by jealousy that Seungcheol was paying more attention towards the pixie rather than himself.)

The pixie sat on the ground, tired and defeated from the whole episode. With a traumatized expression, he looked extremely pathetic just like the moment he’d shot out of Seungcheol’s nose; only that now, instead of snot, the pixie was dripping wet with saliva.

“What are you?” Jihoon squatted next to the pixie, scrutinizing his features, which were slicked wet with Seungcheol’s saliva. The boy picked out a random shirt from his bag and handed it to the pixie for him to dry off, which he did as quickly as he could.

“My name’s Chan. I’m a pixie. I’m gonna go learn martial arts from the great Master Dragon8; he lives on the tallest mountain in this mountain range!” The pixie said eagerly as he dabbed his wings gently with Jihoon’s shirt. He tried fluttering them, which had been glued together by Seungcheol’s saliva, and was glad to find that minimal damage had been done despite his impromptu bath, courtesy of the talking alpaca.

“You’re so tiny.” Seungcheol laughed, earning himself a hard kick from the feisty pixie on his furry neck.

Jihoon’s eyes never left Chan, who buzzed around Seungcheol’s head, ready for a fight. “Hey, are you related to Tinkerbell?” The boy asked randomly.

“Hell, no. She’s a fairy, not a pixie.” Chan crossed his arms. “We’re both totally different magic folk.”

“What’s the difference.” Jihoon rolled his eyes. Both magical kinds were small, and had sparkly wings – but hey, Fairy Godparent Boo Seungkwan was technically a fairy, even though he was human-sized and didn’t have wings…

The differences in fairy/pixie folk made Jihoon’s head spin; it was something trivial that he didn’t want to address right now – if Chan said he was a pixie, so be it.

“But Tinkerbell and the Lost Boys are huge celebrities in my community as a ska band. Their songs are okay, I guess.” Chan continued, going off on a tangent instead.

Seungcheol started to hum a vague melody, only to keep quiet when Jihoon threw him an annoyed look. The alpaca still bobbed his head to an imaginary beat, enjoying whatever song (presumably by Tinkerbell and the Lost Boys) that was playing in his head as Jihoon turned back to address the pixie.   

“If you’re looking for the mountains, they’re up ahead.” Jihoon said curtly.

“I’m small. Everything looks like mountains to me.” Chan landed in front of the pair, sitting on the ground. “Besides, it’s dark, and I might be eaten by raccoons.”

Seungcheol gasped dramatically at Chan’s statement, then turned to Jihoon with worried eyes. “Aren’t we going up the mountains, Jihoonie? We could take him, right?”

Jihoon kept quiet, poking the little fire he’d made. “I don’t even know the way.”

“We can’t let poor TinkerChan get eaten by raccoons! And besides, all we have to do is climb up. Well, in your case, you can just sit and ride me, Jihoonie, and let me do the work, so that you don’t get tired.” Seungcheol said excitedly.

Every word that came out of the alpaca’s mouth sounded like an innuendo to Jihoon, and he stared at the alpaca, wondering if he was doing it on purpose, or it was just his mind toying with him…

“Surely we’ll find Master 8’s place around the mountains eventually.”

Jihoon didn’t point out that Dragon8’s dojo (or whatever his training place was called) could be on any mountain on the range, and may not even be on the mountain they were currently on. He didn’t really want Chan to tag along – the little pixie following them around would drag his own quest even longer, and he wanted to get to the Glass Palace as soon as possible. Besides, three’s a crowd…

“Can I come?” Chan asked hopefully, clasping his hands together.

“Can’t you do it alone?” Jihoon shot back a little too quickly, and he could see the hurt flashing across Chan’s face, but the pixie hid it as quickly as it had appeared.

Chan pulled out a tiny book from his pocket, flipping quickly through the pages. “Says here in the Pixie Scout Handbook, page 393, Section 17, Clause 3(b): Travelling together is better!”

“Well, go look for other pixies then, and travel with them.” Jihoon countered.

Chan slammed the book shut. “Can’t. I’m solo for this quest. The other pixies have their own.”

“Everyone’s going on quests except me!” Seungcheol frowned. Seeing the upset alpaca, Jihoon instinctively reached out to soothingly stroke the soft fur behind his ears, making the alpaca wag his tail in pure bliss.

(Seungcheol probably had some puppy traits, despite being an alpaca, which was weird and endearing at the same time.)

“So can I come with you guys? Just up the mountains? I promise I won’t bother you. You won’t even know I’m here!” Chan begged, bowing down to the boy and the alpaca.

“Okay.” Seungcheol said simply, making an easy decision.

Jihoon stopped stroking Seungcheol’s ears, retracting his hand quicker than lightning. “Hey, you don’t get any veto power!”

“Please? Channie here needs our help. We can’t abandon him.” Seungcheol’s eyes were glistening with tears, making them look extra sparkly. Jihoon was immediately pulled into the dark cola swirl of Seungcheol’s gorgeous eyes, and as if hypnotised, he nodded.

“You can come.” He whispered the words, entranced by how beautiful Seungcheol’s eyes were; barely acknowledging the pixie he was giving permission to.

Between them, a frisson zinged through the air as they made eye contact for at least five seconds – the unreadable emotion in Seungcheol’s intense gaze made Jihoon wonder what the alpaca was thinking about…

Chan interrupted their eye fucking session, hovering between the pair. “Are you gonna kiss? ‘Cause then I’ll pretend to be busy and look away.”

No one answered the pixie, Jihoon and Seungcheol too occupied with each other to pay attention to him. Any second now, Chan almost expected them to start rolling on the ground and hump each other – something that he definitely did not want to watch; and he started rethinking his decision of asking for help from the odd pair…

“Did you say something?” Seungcheol broke eye contact with Jihoon, turning his head to face the pixie, which made Jihoon pout at the diverted attention (he was starting to like the way Seungcheol gazed at him, it was simply full of warmth and happiness and softness and it felt so much like home.)

“N-nothing.” Chan backed off slightly. “But thank you for agreeing to help me….oh! Look at the time!” The pixie pointed at his bare wrist, and faked a yawn. “I’m tired and must sleep.”

“Good night, TinkerChan. I’d hug you, buddy, but you’re tiny and I don’t have arms.” Seungcheol said softly.

The pixie flew off into a bush, and within minutes, snoring sounds could be heard from it. For such a small pixie, Chan snored like an elephant with thick phlegm stuck down his throat.

“Cute little bub.” Seungcheol smiled, then found Jihoon frowning at the bush that Chan was sleeping in. “Are you okay, Jihoonie?”

“Never been better.” Jihoon said between clenched teeth.

“Are you jealous?” Seungcheol asked with a playful tone, nudging the boy’s shoulder with his furry white head.

Jihoon let out a fake laugh, forcing a smile. “Me? J-jealous? Of that little pixie?”

“Don’t worry, I think you’re cuter.” Seungcheol smiled that beautiful smile of his – if there was some kind of Mr Alpaca pageant, Seungcheol would definitely win Best Smile.

At the compliment, Jihoon immediately turned beet red, conscious that Seungcheol was snuggling closer to him as they settled to sit down in front of Jihoon’s dying little campfire. The mountains weren’t as cold as the plains, but Jihoon liked being close to Seungcheol; it was reassuring. They sat together under the night sky, listening to Chan’s rhythmic snores. Occasionally, Seungcheol would point out constellations in the sky to Jihoon, telling stories that sounded absurd, though the way Seungcheol told them made him believe that they were at least 69.3% true.

“Oh, that one’s Potatius, god of the potatoes.” Seungcheol pointed a hoof towards a cluster of stars in the sky, and Jihoon’s gaze followed, even though he wasn’t exactly sure where Seungcheol was pointing at.

“Potatius’ story is the most touching for me. He’s more like a demi-god, because he was a mortal who was made immortal, kind of like Hercules, I think? But legend said that he wasn’t as handsome, he looked like a literal potato but everyone thought he was cute.”

Jihoon nodded, closing his eyes, simply letting the deep baritone of Seungcheol’s voice seep into his soul.

“Potatius worked hard every single day of his life. He planted potatoes far and wide, on every piece of land he could find, and kept a potato tuber in his pocket all the time just in case he found the best spot to grow the biggest potato you could ever imagine.”

“Did he get to do that?” Jihoon asked softly, thinking of an enormous potato as big as the cottage the three dwarfs lived in, with a rotund man standing next to it – Potatius – posing with a toothy smile and a peace sign, proud of his achievement.

“Most certainly! It ended up growing as big as a mountain, and it literally became a mountain with the help of Zeus’ magical powers. It’s called Mount Baked Potato, and you can eat the ground; it really tastes like baked potatoes. Warm and creamy.” Seungcheol licked his lips, which made Jihoon lick his own, too.

“That sounds amazing.” Jihoon would’ve liked to live on Mount Baked Potato – free food, forever; even if it meant baked potatoes for the rest of his life…he’d probably end up looking like Potatius himself – round and adorably flabby.

Seungcheol nodded. “It is. Free food.” He voiced out Jihoon’s exact thoughts, which made the boy’s heart beat a little faster.

“We should go there.” Jihoon whispered.

“It’s the opposite direction from the Crystal Sea; it’s much further inland.” Seungcheol said. Jihoon made a mental note to ask Hansol about Mount Baked Potato – the worldly dwarf had never mentioned about it when he reminisced of his travels. Surely he’d heard of such an exotic place? Maybe he could ask Seungcheol to take him there once he finishes his quest, and enjoy some delicious baked potato together.

“So how did he become a god, or demi-god?” Jihoon asked curiously.  

Seungcheol shrugged after a long moment of hesitation. “My mum never told me that part of the story.”

How anticlimactic. A cricket chirped in the background, filling in the awkward silence, accompanied by a loud timely snore from Chan’s resting bush.

“Anyway. When I was tiny, I got inspired by Potatius, and I wanted to become a potato farmer.” Seungcheol drawled.

An image of a small alpaca Seungcheol wearing a floppy farmer’s hat, trotting around a vast field of potatoes conjured up in Jihoon’s mind. It seemed so endearing to think about, and Jihoon smiled to himself. 

“You could do so many things with potatoes. You could sell them, or replant them. Or even use them in science experiments.”

Now Jihoon imagined baby alpaca Seungcheol wearing a lab coat and goggles, surrounded by bubbling beakers, scrutinizing a potato under a microscope.

“Of course, you could cook them, too! Fry, boil, poach, jacket, mash them…the possibilities are infinite! You could even make potato ramen!”

The talk of food made Jihoon hungry, and he craved for Mingyu’s hot meals right now - especially his homemade ramen. Maybe when he returned home soon, he’d ask Mingyu to make some potato ramen and invite Seungcheol over for dinner.

Yes, that sounded nice. Introducing Seungcheol the alpaca to Mingyu, Wonwoo and Hansol. Mingyu would probably try to feed him everything in the fridge, and no doubt that curious Wonwoo would study everything about Seungcheol from the tips of his ears down to his hooves, taking samples and running a full-on research about talking alpacas. Hansol, on the other hand, would introduce Seungcheol to his cactus and maybe give the alpaca his own cactus to take care of.

The thought of his family warming up to Seungcheol comforted him, and he smiled again as he gazed up towards the stars, terribly missing home.

“So. What do you want to be when you grow up?” Seungcheol’s tone was light, conversational; but his question was like heavy artillery, a bullet straight to Jihoon’s heart.    

The boy hugged his knees. “To be honest, I never really thought about that.”

“Hmm. Okay. I guess you’ve still got time to think about it.”

Jihoon kept quiet. There were so many possibilities for him out there: becoming a diamond miner like the three dwarfs, or working with Forest Spirit Junhui in his apple orchard (and maybe get free apples for a lifetime as an employee benefit); or he could even look for a job in the nearest town closest to home, doing this or that, but he really wasn’t good at anything in particular… all he knew was a relaxing life in the cottage, being doted on by the three dwarfs who spoiled him to no end with food and love.

There were so many things he could do with his life, and just thinking about it was tiring. So many things that were uncertain in his future - what would happen after he reached the Glass Palace? What was he even supposed to do there? Why was everything so vague, and why were there so many questions with no answers?

“I don’t even know why I’m going to the Glass Palace!” Jihoon shouted suddenly, startling the alpaca sitting next to him.

“Woah, Jihoonie. Calm down.”

“I’m gonna quit this quest. It’s dumb and has no purpose.” Tears stung at Jihoon’s eyes, and an overwhelming taste of tangerine rose at the back of his throat, making him cough.

“You’re upset. Don’t make rash decisions.”

“I just wanna go home.” Jihoon buried his face into Seungcheol’s fur, sobbing. He missed the comfort of home, the three dwarfs taking care of all his needs. The real world outside was tough, and he should’ve never left in the first place.

Seungcheol rested his chin gently onto Jihoon’s head, letting the boy weep freely, hoping he’d wash his troubles away. There was nothing much he could do for Jihoon right now, unless he shared his worries, but Seungcheol simply hoped that his presence was reassuring for the boy – maybe he’d open up and share his problems soon. But Jihoon never once looked up, sniffling quietly into Seungcheol’s neck, crying himself to sleep.

Jihoon fell into a restless sleep that night, curled up against Seungcheol, with a tear-stained face, and the taste of tangerines that lingered on his tongue.

* * *

“Hello, Hoon Hoonie.”

No one else would call him that embarrassing nickname, except for Fairy Godparent Boo Seungkwan. Jihoon found himself in that vast white space again, the same place where he’d first met his fairy godparent. It was another one of those surreal dreams, where all his senses were alert, yet, he was most likely asleep in the real world.

The tangerine fairy was sitting right next to him on the lone bench that filled the empty space; his suit giving a burst of colour against the white background. The fairy looked irritated, pointing his chin up, not even looking at Jihoon. Something was bothering his fairy godparent – Jihoon could feel it, but he didn’t feel like it was his place to ask.  

“How are you.” Seungkwan’s tone was clipped.

“Fine, I suppose. Yesterday night I almost died of hypothermia out in the plains, and you were MIA.” Jihoon shuddered at the memory of being so, so cold; but he was glad for Seungcheol the talking alpaca who didn’t hesitate to share his body heat and fluffy fur.

“You said you wanted to go home.” Seungkwan said sharply.

Jihoon kept quiet - he’d said that to nobody but Seungcheol. What if Seungcheol the alpaca was actually Fairy Godparent Boo Seungkwan in disguise, following him throughout the journey to monitor his progress?

“Are you an alpaca? Specifically, a talking alpaca?”

Seungkwan blinked at Jihoon’s random question then laughed heartily, his temper easily gone. “Nawwww. That’s your friend Seungcheol. I’m your fairy godparent, nothing less.”

Jihoon wasn’t convinced, and he narrowed his eyes, leaning closer to Seungkwan, arousing suspicion. “Do you have magic that makes you change form or anything?”

Seungkwan tittered some more, his cheeks blowing up into a squishy smile. “Why would I want to be anything else? Being a fairy is fa-BOO-lous!”

Jihoon facepalmed at the pun, while Seungkwan continued to laugh at his wordplay.

“You’re doing really well on your quest, Hoon Hoonie.” Seungkwan pulled out his tangerine notebook to note something down. “In this rate, you’ll finish your quest in no time!” A tangerine glow coloured their surroundings, as it always did if Seungkwan wanted to emphasise his point. Seungkwan shut his little notebook with a snap, turning to his godchild. “To be honest, the Fairy Council is impressed with you. Fate must’ve played a part, too, since I barely did anything!”

Jihoon didn’t really understand what Seungkwan meant, but he decided to ask the biggest question playing in his mind repeatedly, like a broken record. “Why do I need to go to the Glass Palace?”

“Oh, my sweet, little innocent Hoon Hoonie.” Seungkwan reached out to hold his godchild’s face in his hands. “You’ll learn as you go along. For now, just try to get to the Glass Palace. I promise, you’ll understand soon.”

“I really miss home.” Jihoon’s eyes were starting to fill up with tears, even in his dreams.

Seungkwan sighed. “As a matter of fact, the dwarfs don’t really miss you.”

Jihoon started crying at Seungkwan’s blunt remark. The truth seemed too harsh for him to handle - here he was, miles away from home and missing his family, yet they seemed to be doing just fine without him…

“Ah, you’re so fragile. To be honest, they’re trying to cope as best as they can. Mingyu cooks too much food, thinking you’ll come back home any day. Wonwoo’s started reading bedtime stories to Hansol, because there’s no one else to read them to. And Hansol’s trying to grow a tangerine tree. He’s pretty adorable.”

Jihoon cried even harder, hearing about his family. What was Mingyu going to do with the leftovers that was supposed to be Jihoon’s portion? He remembered that Wonwoo was halfway through Game of Thrones for Jihoon’s bedtime story, so now, he wasn’t going to know what happened if Wonwoo continued reading the story to clueless Hansol. Plus, in what way was Hansol trying to grow a tree adorable? Seungkwan must’ve gotten a screw loose somewhere in his weird tangerine head…

“You’re doing well, Hoon Hoonie. I’ll visit your dreams again tomorrow night.” Seungkwan patted Jihoon’s dark hair gently before he stood up.

“Why can’t you visit me in real life on my quest? You could meet Seungcheol.” Jihoon hiccupped, wiping away his tears, staring at his fairy godparent with tearful, bloodshot eyes.

“Well, I’m kind of…shy.” Seungkwan smiled good-naturedly, which made Jihoon suspect him even more; maybe his theory that Seungcheol and Seungkwan were one person in different forms was highly likely.

The boy wanted had more questions, but he didn’t know what elseto ask. But Seungkwan patted his head once more. “I’m gonna poof away now. Take care.”

With a tangerine glow and a smattering of fairy dust, Seungkwan disappeared, leaving Jihoon alone in the empty white area.

* * *

“Good morning.”

Jihoon could barely open his eyes - they were so puffy; and he was clinging onto Seungcheol’s lush white fur, which gave him the alternative comfort of his bed back at the cottage - cuddling up to the alpaca felt like home, he loved the warm familiar feeling that enveloped him when he curled up against Seungcheol.

His feel-good sensation barely lasted a minute when a tiny little nuisance in the form of a pixie fluttered right in his face.

“Is he fine?” Jihoon heard a little pipsqueak voice near his ear, accompanied by the incessant buzzing of wings. He waved his hand to swat the annoyance away, only to be welcomed with little pixie Chan floating just inches away from his nose, scrutinizing him a little too closely.

“Your eyes are puffy and bloodshot.” Chan pointed out; and Jihoon instinctively reached up to touch his eyes. He could barely open them, the pain making him feel like pulling out his eyeballs and rolling them on the ground before cleansing his eye sockets with rain water. Jihoon started to rub his eyes, as if it would ease the pain, and Chan hovering around him wasn’t of much help.

“TinkerChannie, be a good fairy and look for some berries for us, will you?” Seungcheol asked in a deathly sweet tone that coated his underlying intention - he just wanted to get rid of Chan for the time being, noticing Jihoon’s clear distress.

“I’m a pixie, but yeah, sure.” Chan flitted away, whizzing towards the nearby bushes.

The alpaca turned to the dark-haired boy, who was still clawing at his own eyes. He approached Jihoon cautiously, knowing the fragile state he was in. Seungcheol remembered how upset Jihoon was last night, and he sincerely wanted to help – Jihoon’s anguish was unsettling him, and he’d do anything to make the boy smile again.

“Are you okay, Jihoonie?”

“Y-yes?” Jihoon managed to stammer, his voice a scratchy croak that didn’t sound like himself.

“You were crying in your sleep last night.”

“I did?”

Seungcheol nodded gravely. “You were whimpering and it scared me, because I thought you got possessed or something. And I’m kinda scared of ghosts.”

Jihoon stopped rubbing his eyes to stare at Seungcheol, whose cola coloured irises held deep worry and concern. He instantly felt guilty

“I’m sorry I scared you. It was just a weird dream.”

“I was more worried than scared.” Seungcheol didn’t mention that he’d thought of giving Jihoon mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to suck away the alleged ghost that was possessing the boy last night.

Jihoon looked down to the ground, feeling sombre. He remembered his dream vividly, and he still missed his family. There was also a subtle hint of tangerine on his tongue, which instantly reminded him of Fairy Godparent Boo Seungkwan, and his theory of Seungkwan and Seungcheol actually being one person…

“But I’m just glad you’re okay. If only I had arms, I would totally give you a Cheol Cuddle™.” Seungcheol was saying. A Cheol Cuddle™ sounded great, but Jihoon was already zoning in on his Seungkwan = Seungcheol? Theory, wondering how to appropriately slide that little concern into their conversation to confirm his hypothesis.

“Got the berries!” Chan appeared right in front of them, cradling two cranberries that probably weighed twice as much as he did. “One for Seungcheol, and one for Jihoon.”

Chan dropped a berry into Jihoon’s palm, which was about the size of a pinhead – barely breakfast, but it had taken the tiny pixie a great deal of effort to harvest the fruit for them. Chan threw the other berry right into Seungcheol’s mouth, which disappeared in about half a second.

“Thank you, TinkerChan. So what’s our plan for today?”

“Climb up the mountains, look for Master 8, drop Chan off, then get on with my own quest.” Jihoon replied, playing with the berry in his hand.

“Woah, you wanna get rid of me that quickly?”

“TinkerChan, we’re prioritising your quest first. Don’t you wanna meet Master 8 soon?”

Chan nodded fervently; his eyes crinkling as he smiled. “Yes please!”

“So let’s get going!” The alpaca bounced excitedly. “Wanna ride me, Jihoonie?”

Chan sputtered, and Jihoon’s ears turned red – Seungcheol was the only one among them who missed the innuendo, smiling brightly, hoping that Jihoon would take up his offer.

“I’ll be fine walking.” Jihoon shouldered his backpack, trying to keep himself composed, and started off ahead of the alpaca and the pixie.

The mountains were even tougher to tackle, with every step they ascended, the atmosphere became thinner, making it harder to breathe. Chan simply sat on Jihoon’s shoulder whenever he got tired, while Seungcheol looked comfortable on the rough terrain, marching forward, leading their little group. Most times, he’d hang back and fall in step with Jihoon, who was cursing the very existence of mountains with every step he took. But he liked the way Seungcheol took extra care of him, taking it upon himself to become Jihoon’s protector, practically doting on him every step of the way.

“Are you okay, Jihoonie?”

“Are your feet tired, Jihoonie?”

“Should we stop and rest, Jihoonie?”

“Look Jihoonie that cloud looks like a banana!”

“Jihoonie, I’m thirsty, are you?”

_Jihoonie, Jihoonie, Jihoonie_ \- if it was someone else, he would’ve found it annoying having his name like some kind of ritualistic chant, but he found it endearing when Seungcheol did it with his singsongy voice, the way he rolled those three syllables around his tongue that made it sound like a masterpiece from heaven, even if it was just his own name.

At times, Chan looked like he regretted joining their little group. He’d been third wheeling, either leading or trailing behind Jihoon and Seungcheol, eavesdropping on whatever the pair were talking about, which was usually about anything and everything under the sun.

“Hey, Seungcheol?”

The alpaca turned to Jihoon, who had that single question playing in his mind all day.

“Do you like tangerines?”

“They’re okay, I guess.” Seungcheol jutted out his lower lip in thought. “But not really, since I don’t have fingers, so I can’t peel the skin off when I eat them, and even though the peel has fibre or something equally healthy I don’t like the colour of my poop when it comes out because I don’t really digest them.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be a herbivore or something?” Jihoon wasn’t well versed with the anatomy of alpacas, but surely they’d have some kind of digestive mechanism for all the grass they graze on? Even so, Seungcheol wasn’t just any random alpaca - he preferred fruits and human food (who knows how much of Jihoon’s food he’d eaten already throughout their trip; his rations were dwindling fairly quickly.)

Jihoon dropped the subject, as Seungcheol started asking Chan things about pixies, particularly about their digestive system, which he wasn’t particularly interested about. He fell back, letting the pixie and the alpaca walk ahead. He stopped for a breather, trying to clear up his muddled mind with the fresh mountain air that smelled vaguely of burning incense.

The skies were a cloudless, brilliant blue, providing a backdrop for the snow-capped mountain peak up ahead, which seemed like millions of miles away.

Jihoon looked behind him, barely hearing the crackle of rocks underneath his feet.

They’d definitely ascended a long way up the mountains – the green plains stretched out as far and wide, bordered by the lush green forest (and apple orchard) that Jihoon called home. He tried to pinpoint where the dwarfs’ cottage was probably located, but failed, since he barely had any sense of direction. In the far distance, a blurry, dark potato-shaped mountain rose from beyond the forest, which Jihoon presumed was Mount Baked Potato.

So it did exist…

A world so wide, and Jihoon suddenly felt so, so small; so insignificant. There were probably many other people living out there in this world, going about their business doing whatever, scurrying along like little ants, from Jihoon’s viewpoint on the mountain range. All those people, and apparently, he was one of the few Chosen Ones who got an exclusive trip to the Glass Palace, though the exact details of the quest were kept in the dark from him by one (1) Fairy Godparent…

No wonder everyone had been so excited for his quest to the Glass Palace – it was a big deal that Jihoon hadn’t been able to appreciate, being so sheltered living in the dwarfs’ cottage.

Still, Jihoon felt that he deserved to know more. He was the one doing all the hard work, travelling with a talking alpaca and a pixie (who were playfully bickering about something up ahead) and it wasn’t fair that everyone else had an idea about what was going to happen soon.

Surely, he’d find out when he gets to his destination, so Jihoon steeled himself, hoping that the journey wouldn’t take too long from now onwards.

Jihoon knew he wouldn’t have made it this far if he had been alone, so he took a moment to thank all the goodness in the world for making his path cross with Seungcheol the alpaca. Would there be other talking alpacas out there, too? Jihoon wondered about Seungcheol’s family, making a mental note to ask him about it later.

This high up the mountain, foliage was becoming scarce, only a couple of mountain flowers popping out between the rocky terrain. Jihoon bent down and picked a flower, a dainty little one with pink petals growing between the cracks of the ground. He twirled it between his fingers, feeling that Seungcheol might just like the flower, thinking how nice it might look against his pure white fur. Jihoon glanced at Seungcheol and Chan, who were attempting to climb a steep section of the mountain - practically a wall of rock that hindered their journey. Seungcheol was making great progress up the steep climb, while Chan was buzzing beside his head, cheering him on.

It took Seungcheol no time to ascend the steep climb, prancing around happily from a higher ledge; turning to look down at Jihoon with the biggest smile on his face, proud of his own achievement.

“Jihoonie, get up here!” The alpaca’s voice echoed throughout between the mountains.

Jihoon tucked the little pink flower inside his pocket and started to climb, reaching out to grasp the rocky wall as an ominous low rumble rose from the ground, which no one regarded.

“Are you hungry again, Cheol?” Jihoon teased the alpaca, as he reached out for a grip, wincing when sharp rocks pressed against his skin. Barely two feet up the climb, and he was already exhausted – rock climbing needed more strength than he thought.

“Nope, that wasn’t my tummy. But I’ve really got to thank Mingyu after all this, his food is the best.”

“He’d definitely invite you to stay for dinner.” Jihoon grit his teeth, pushing himself up the wall slowly. He was making a little bit of progress, and he couldn’t wait to join Seungcheol and Chan on the ledge.

“Hmmm. With his cooking, I’d rather stay forever.” Seungcheol’s voice gave Jihoon a sense of direction, helping persevere. He’d probably pass out right there on the wall right now if it weren’t for Seungcheol, and now he regretted turning down Seungcheol’s offer to ride him…

“Oh.” A small rock crumbled from the wall; the fine dust following it irritating Jihoon’s eyes, which turned watery. Tears spilled down his cheeks, blurring his vision, and he wiped them away quickly with his sleeve, trying to blink the pain away. The bag he was carrying on his back suddenly felt too heavy, weighing him down, being pulled by gravity. The feeling of vertigo clouded over him, and he started hyperventilating, fear and adrenaline already coursing through his veins. His grip on the rocks loosened as his palms turned sweaty out of nervousness. Up on the ledge, Seungcheol was still talking non-stop about Mingyu’s cooking, with Chan listening intently, oblivious to what was happening to Jihoon.

A split second, then Jihoon felt like he was freefalling through thin air; like he had no control of his body anymore. The wall of rock seemed to pass by him in a blur – he was falling, falling, only to be welcomed by the cold, hard ground.

A plume of dust rose from the ground following Jihoon’s ungraceful landing, accompanied by the loudest smack that made mountain vibrate with a low rumble. Pieces of rocks fell like rain around him, little beatings of pain that added to the overall ache enveloping his body; he felt like he was bruised all over.

“JIHOONIE!” 

Jihoon’s vision swam with blurry black dots – everything around him suddenly seemed too bright, too loud. The bag on his back had at least softened the crash, though his belongings (especially food) would probably be all smushed inside.

He’d crashed hard on the ground – how knows how far he’d fell?

Seungcheol’s by his side in a split second, bending over the dazed boy with a frightened look in his cola-coloured eyes. There was no doubt that the alpaca was panicking

“Start the chest compressions, TinkerChannie. I’ll follow up with ventilation.” Seungcheol ordered, already puckering up his lips unnecessarily, peering over Jihoon a little too closely.

“He’s still breathing, Seungcheol.” Chan said. “There’s no need for CPR…”

Seungcheol was already hysterical, his eyes wild. “What if he dies?”

Jihoon struggled to sit up, and Chan flew over to support him, holding onto the boy’s arm.  

“I’m fine, Cheol.” Jihoon said with a pained, but reassuring smile. He was still a bit shaken from the fall, and apart from a really bad body ache, everything else seemed normal…

“I hope I didn’t break a bone.” The boy dusted his clothes, putting his backpack aside.

“Thank goodness you’re safe, Jihoonie.” Seungcheol rested his chin on Jihoon’s head, a gesture with a semblance of a hug. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“I’m okay. It was just a fall.”

“A really bad one.” Chan piped in.

“I’m going to wrap you up in bubblewrap and carry you to the Glass Palace myself.” Seungcheol said, cuddling closer to the boy. Jihoon let the alpaca hold him, trying to relax in Seungcheol’s close proximity. He willed the pain away, all of it subsiding to a dull ache -  he didn’t know how long they sat like that, but now he was ready to tackle the wall of rock once more. There were things to do, and quests to be done – as much as Jihoon loved cuddling with Seungcheol, time was of the essence. He needed to get to the Glass Palace, but before that, they had to find the great Master Dragon8 for Chan the pixie.

The fall didn’t break him, but it helped him become stronger, as he sharpened his determination. 

Jihoon tried to stand up, wobbling to balance himself, but all in all, he seemed perfectly fine. Chan helped Jihoon to steady himself, as Seungcheol watched them with eyes full of doubt – he wanted Jihoon to take a break after that scary fall; they could attempt it later, or even tomorrow.

“C’mon.” Jihoon loosened his muscles and made another attempt to ascend the rocky wall; already scrambling up the rocks ahead of everyone else.

Seungcheol tried to stop him, and make him rest more, but nothing could stop Jihoon now. The boy climbed and climbed, closely followed by the alpaca, and after a tiring and excruciating climb, the trio made it onto the upper ledge that Seungcheol had successfully scaled on his own earlier.

“We made it!” Chan exclaimed, buzzing around excitedly. He’d had the least work to do among the three of them, simply sitting on Seungcheol’s head throughout the climb, watching the two of them doing all the hard work.

Seungcheol let out a relieved sigh, collapsing down to his feet once they reached higher ground. “I’m glad we made it safely.”

“Don’t worry, we’re all still in one piece!” For someone who just fell a few feet off a rocky wall earlier, Jihoon seemed oddly upbeat and energetic. Did he hit his head really hard?

“I was scared, Jihoonie. I was scared when you fell; and I was scared that you would fall again.” Seungcheol’s voice was full of hurt and worry.

Jihoon kept quiet for a while, realising that Seungcheol’s worry ran deeper than he thought – it was genuine concern. He instantly felt guilty for making the alpaca feel bad, but he still wanted to measure how bad it was. “On a scale of one to ten, how scared were you?”

“Infinity.” Seungcheol admitted quietly, and Jihoon felt his heart plunge down to his feet.

Right at that moment as the confession left Seungcheol’s mouth, a dark shadow loomed over the trio, an imposing presence that made Chan and Seungcheol cower behind Jihoon, who braced himself for the impending doom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUN DUN DUNNNNNNN. 
> 
> does this chapter make sense? probably not, because it's crack.   
> feedback is very much appreciated! :D   
> hopefully will be able to update this soon but lyf is mad :D but i'll try my best >,<


	5. master of marital arts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this whole chapter was inspired by a typo  
> yes there is a difference between **MARTIAL** and **MARITAL**  
>  I apologise deeply bc this update is long overdue >.< but pls enjoy! ^^

“Did someone say my name?”

A tall stranger, wearing hipster glasses, and sporting a stylish mullet that no one else could possibly pull off, appeared in front of the trio, imposing. His voice was smooth, with a sultry accent that hinted at his Chinese ancestry.

“OMG IT’S YOU.” Chan the pixie flitted over to the stranger, practically bowing at his feet.

Seungcheol leaned over to Jihoon. “Who’s that?”

Jihoon didn’t know, either, so he shrugged, keeping his eyes on the shiny Chanel brooch neatly pinned onto the lapel of the stranger’s fashionable designer coat. In fact, the stranger looked like he’d stepped off a high couture fashion runway, looking completely out of place in the mountains with his professionally styled hair, multiple piercings and boots polished so well that you could practically see your own reflection in it.

“I am Minghao.” The stranger introduced himself, bowing politely, with one hand over his heart. Jihoon and Seungcheol bowed politely in return, while Chan did a full bow in respect, kneeling on the ground once more, almost kissing Minghao’s boot.

(Jihoon imagined Chan being crushed under Minghao’s boot – splat! Then he’d have Seungcheol all to himself, and he hid a smile at the thought.) 

“Dragon8 is my nickname. Infinity is my middle name.” The stranger continued.  

“Why do you have so many names?” Seungcheol questioned, only to be shushed by Chan.

“I am the master of MARITAL arts.” Minghao finally finished his introduction with another sweeping bow; which the trio automatically returned (less gracefully in comparison).

“Don’t you mean MARTIAL arts?” Chan flew up to hover next to Minghao’s face excitedly.

“Little one,” Minghao addressed the pixie calmly (who internally fumed at the nickname he’d been addressed with, but he kept his cool in front of his idol). “You have a lot to learn.”

Everyone looked at Minghao, waiting for further explanation, but he simply dusted his coat.

“What’s the difference?” Seungcheol pressed on, hoping for an answer.

Minghao seemed unfazed at the talking alpaca, adjusting the glasses resting on the tip of his nose with such grace and elegance. “Let me host you at my dojo; we’ll have a more comfortable conversation there.”

With a swish of his long jacket, Minghao turned on his heel, heading towards a treacherous ascending path that could barely fit one person. Chan flew after Minghao excitedly, right behind him, almost scared to get too close.

“Don’t worry, Jihoonie. I’ll catch you if you fall.” Seungcheol could sense Jihoon’s worry just by looking at the back of his head. A single mistake on the ledge would invite the Grim Reaper along on their trip; the drop looked dangerous from their height, the valley miles down below.

“It’s you I’m worried about.” Jihoon said, worried that the narrow ledge wouldn’t fit Seungcheol; and he didn’t want to leave the alpaca behind. Minghao was easily making his way along, already a distance away from Jihoon and Seungcheol.

“I can make myself tiny.” Seungcheol started walking slowly, putting one hoof in front of another, like a sassy catwalk.

It seemed like an eternity for Jihoon as the four of them teetered along the small path; Seungcheol counting his steps under his breath. Jihoon hugged the rock wall along the ledge as he made his way along, afraid to look down at the valley below. He focused on his footing, listening to Seungcheol’s counting. Meanwhile, Minghao strode confidently up ahead; the narrow inches of the ledge barely leaving him unfazed. Chan easily flew his way through, keeping a close distance from his idol, a starstruck expression on his little face. The ledge seemed to go on forever, and Jihoon could feel his toes cramping, leaving a risk of him falling off the mountain with no chance of surviving. The tiny ledge gradually widened into a large area, and they soon found themselves in an open rocky area, the barren land devoid of plants.

Jihoon fell onto a heap on the dusty ground, sighing in relief. His heart was pounding too fast, adrenaline coursing through his system – the tiny ledge had put him on edge (literally, too!); he’d never experienced heightened fear, maybe it was the altitude. Seungcheol nudged him with his nose, checking if he was fine. Jihoon waved the alpaca away, covering his face with his arm, trying to calm down.  

“Let’s go. There’ll be time to rest later.” Minghao said, and Jihoon got back up to his feet, his knees still shaking. As if to reassure Jihoon, Seungcheol rubbed his nose against the boy’s cheek, offering him a small smile. Jihoon’s heart did a little flip at the intimate gesture, then they both hurried to catch up with Minghao and Chan.

Minghao kept walking ahead with Chan hovering right behind him, before he stopped in front of a large cave that looked like the mouth of a monster – stalactites were hanging from the low ceiling, like sharp teeth. A couple of bats flew out of the entrance, which made Seungcheol jump out of his skin. Jihoon automatically reached out to soothe him, noticing that his own hand was also trembling. A million doubts ran through his mind in a millisecond, wondering what kind of character Minghao was – was he really a great martial arts master like Chan had claimed?

Jihoon didn’t have any expectations for Minghao’s dojo, thinking that it would probably be a little straw hut somewhere, surrounded by bamboos and maybe a pet panda or something – classically (and stereotypically) Oriental.  The cave was like something out of Batman; dark and eerie – maybe Minghao was Batman?

There was no time for hesitation, since Minghao had already walked in, followed by Chan.

“I’m scared, Jihoonie.” Seungcheol said, slightly backing up from the black hole gaping in front of them.

The black-haired boy shushed him gently. “It’s okay. I’m here.”

“What if he eats TinkerChannie?” There was unmistakable and irrational fear in Seungcheol’s dark cola-coloured eyes, his pupils shaking.

Minghao’s designer coat was slowly disappearing into the dark, Chan following him like he was the Pied Piper.

“He doesn’t seem like the carnivore type.” Jihoon reasoned, judging from Minghao’s slender figure. Or he could be completely wrong…

“Are you two coming?” Minghao’s smooth voice echoed throughout the cave. His voice sounded faraway – he was probably already deep inside.

“Coming!” Seungcheol’s voice came out high-pitched, and he trotted into the dark cave.

Jihoon had been a split second too late to convince Seungcheol that they’d kept their promise to help Chan find Master 8 Minghao, and they could very well be on their way to the Glass Palace, leaving Chan and Minghao up to their own business in the cave.

“C’mon, Jihoonie, let’s go see Master 8’s dojo. I wanna know why he has so many nicknames.” Seungcheol stopped and turned to look at Jihoon, who was still standing at the entrance of the cave.

Jihoon hurried to Seungcheol’s side, keeping a hand on the alpaca’s back as they started walking into the darkness.

Seungcheol started humming a cheery tune about [bananas](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyLf7XuwpFw) to appease the eerie mood surrounding them, and Jihoon unconsciously tightened his grip on Seungcheol’s fur. There were a number of bats hanging from the ceiling of the cave, peering at them with their yellow eyes. Jihoon and Seungcheol were practically blind, walking in a straight direction into nothing but darkness. Jihoon was especially scared of bumping into anything, given that his body still ached from his fall from a while ago.

“Keep walking straight, young ones.” Minghao’s smooth voice echoed throughout the cave.

“Are we there yet?” Seungcheol had his eyes shut tightly, his voice trembling.

“Just a few more steps.” Minghao replied, though he was nowhere to be seen. Seungcheol continued his banana song, singing even louder that his voice bounced off the walls, probably scaring the bats away.

As they walked through the cave, Jihoon could hear the whoosh of water up ahead, a ray of light spilling into the surrounding darkness. The next thing he knew, he was fully drenched with water as they stepped into the brightness.

The chilly water drenched Jihoon all over, awakening all of his senses (but mostly his annoyance). Next to him, Seungcheol shook water off his fur (much like a dog); spraying water droplets in all directions. Over the exit of the cave, there was a curtain of waterfall that had drenched both Seungcheol and Jihoon; a barrier between the cave and the green garden that spread out in front of them.

They were now standing on a rock overlooking a tranquil garden that instantly calmed Jihoon down – it looked like paradise. Jihoon could imagine himself living there, playing football in the garden with Seungcheol. Standing in front of them, Minghao seemed to be dry, and so was Chan; both apparently unaffected by the waterfall. If Jihoon and Seungcheol had tagged closely with them, they wouldn’t be soaking wet right now – Minghao held a secret enchantment that made the waterfall part anytime he approached it.

“I apologise for that. The waterfall keeps the bats away.” Minghao strode over to Jihoon, taking his bag. “Let me help you dry your belongings.”

Jihoon hauled his soaked shirt over his head, trying to squeeze it dry. For a split second, he thought that Seungcheol was staring at him being shirtless, and he felt hot all over, debating whether he should stand under the waterfall to cool himself off. Everything he owned was soaking wet, so he had to be shirtless, for now. Seungcheol, of course, was standing too close to Jihoon, sniffing his back for no apparent reason.

A house elf appeared from nowhere, and Minghao gave her Jihoon’s soaked belongings. Before Jihoon could say anything, the house elf poofed away, presumably off to take care of Jihoon’s things, drying them off.

“Alright, gentlemen. Welcome to my dojo.” Minghao smiled, spreading his arms widely to welcome his guests to his impressive home.

The cave had been a gateway into a different dimension from the rocky mountains. Above their heads, the sun was already dipping slightly to the west, lighting the area in a tasteful manner that it looked like a painting. Bamboo grew around the perimeter, while colourful flower bushes lined the pebbled walkway leading up to a grand house painted bright red. Rather than a house, a mansion seemed to be a more fitting description – it was like one of those grand structures from ancient China, steeped in culture and tradition. As the four of them walked down the pathway that led to Minghao’s home, Jihoon spied an open arena by the side, surrounded by wooden bleachers. Probably for martial arts purposes, Jihoon thought. Traditional stone ornaments decorated the gardens, with a few stone benches here and there. It was a nice place to relax, with the overall calmness and the fresh air – compatible with Minghao’s cool and enigmatic personality.

There were dragon motifs everywhere in the garden and all over the walls of the house, as if paying homage to Minghao’s nickname, Dragon 8. Two stone dragons stood guard at the intricately carved front door, looking menacing, as if they could spring into action any time, and Jihoon could feel Seungcheol bumping to him as they approached the entrance of Minghao’s mansion/dojo.

Minghao grandly threw the doors open, letting his guests enter. Jihoon had expected the interior décor to match the outside, but it was all modern monochrome; black and silver furniture everywhere, all angled and sleek. Everything was polished so well that Jihoon and Seungcheol could practically see their reflections everywhere. Chan marvelled at the set-up of the living room, where a large portrait filled one whole wall. The splash of colours of the abstract art provided colour in the monochrome living room, which attracted Chan the pixie. The painting of lines and curves vaguely resembled a person’s face in a plethora of different oil paints, the burst of colours in the portrait almost making it feel alive. In the bottommost corner of the canvas was a signature: _#8painting._

“That’s my self-portrait.” Minghao said, giving off a little explanation that Chan paid rapt attention to – he had no idea that his idol was an artist, too; and it fascinated him to no end.

“Good selection of colours.” Jihoon said, keeping a hand on Seungcheol’s back to restrain him from approaching the portrait. “No, Cheol, you can’t touch the painting.”

“This way, gentlemen.” Minghao led them out to a courtyard that seemed to be in the center of the mansion; surrounded by private rooms. Right in the middle of the serene courtyard was a pond, water lilies floating on the water. A mini waterfall flowed directly into the pond, the swoosh of running water giving off a calming ambience; and the tinkling of wind chimes hanging nearby.

If Jihoon had money, he’d give an offer to Minghao to buy the place – it was literally paradise.

“Frogs.” Chan said, looking at a rather large one relaxing on a lily leaf, its throat swelling up before it let out a loud croak that blew Chan away. There were many more like it, of slightly different variants, sitting around the pond, staring at the guests with their beady eyes.

Seungcheol peered at the emerald water, trying to spot fishes, but he only saw tadpoles. “There are baby frogs in here.” The alpaca reported, peering at the little squiggly things in the water, as Jihoon and Chan joined him.

“Oh, that’s my part time job. I breed frogs.” Minghao said, picking up a small frog, proffering it to Chan. The pixie stared at the amphibian for a few seconds, before it let out a resounding croak, which startled Chan once more, who almost fell into the water.

“If TinkerChan kisses the little froggy, will it turn into a prince?” Seungcheol’s cola eyes were sparkling with excitement, as Chan hid behind Jihoon’s ear.

“I don’t use magic here. These are simply frogs. No human charms.” Minghao said crisply as he let the frog go, dismissing Seungcheol’s on-the-spot idea of getting Chan a frog prince as a soulmate. The master of the house headed towards another door, motioning for his guests to follow, and they entered another hallway, one that was lined with more paintings on the wall.

“This is a really nice painting.” Chan commented, eyeing up a small canvas splattered with various colours. Of course, in the corner of the painting was Minghao’s signature: _#8painting_.

“You have a lot of paintings.” Seungcheol gasped; marvelling at the countless canvases proudly hung along the hallway, different art presentations on each of them, but signed with the trademark _#8painting_ that signified that Minghao was the artist.

Minghao nodded proudly. “It lets me express myself freely.”  

The little entourage reached the end of the hall, facing the wall – a dead end. Seungcheol was about to open his mouth and say something when Minghao tapped the wall three times. The wall in front of them turned out to be a fake panel, sliding off to the side, granting them entry to another room on the other side.

“Ooh. Hidden door. Enigmatic.” Seungcheol said, waggling his eyebrows at Chan, who nodded in awe.

“Welcome to 8BAR.” Minghao welcomed his guests into a lavishly decorated room; almost resembling a bar from a vintage era, all red velvet and polished wood everywhere. A long bartop ran parallel to a shelf that held shiny wine glasses and bottles, where Chan landed, strutting along the counter like a little model. Jihoon and Seungcheol took seats on the tall barstools (though after much difficulty, Seungcheol decided to stand); while Minghao looked comfortable behind the counter, shrugging his designer coat off.

“Let me guess, you’re a bartender, too?” Seungcheol guessed, grinning, 500% confident that he was right.

“No, I simply collect fine wines.” Minghao started picking out fresh glasses for everyone. Jihoon snickered at Seungcheol, who was pouting that he’d guessed wrong; but both of them were silently impressed at how versatile their host was – a master in martial arts as well as the creative arts, a frog breeder and a wine collector, too! “Would anybody want a drink?”

Chan perched on the shiny mahogany counter, shaking his head. “I’m honoured, Master. But I don’t drink.”

“Fair enough.” Minghao said, an offered the pixie some water in a thimble. The martial arts master glanced at Seungcheol the alpaca, wondering if it was legal to give an animal some alcohol. It wouldn’t be fun to drink alone, so he asked, anyway. “Llama, would you like some?”

“He’s an alpaca.” Chan corrected quickly.

“My apologies.” Minghao bowed his head politely, with his hand over his heart.   

“Sounds good, but can I have a swirly straw?” Seungcheol asked. “No fingers, sorry.”

Minghao had a scandalised look on his face – 300-year-old expensive wine could never be properly enjoyed with a straw. He poured a glass of water for Seungcheol instead, and stuck a purple straw into the cup, the bright colour exciting the alpaca to no end.

“Ebony?” Minghao glanced at Jihoon, ready to pour him a glass. Jihoon didn’t hear him, running his fingers all over the intricate carvings on the side of the grand mahogany bar in awe.

“That’s you, Jihoonie.” Seungcheol whispered, noticing that Jihoon had zoned out enough to not notice that Minghao was addressing him. Jihoon nodded fervently, not knowing what the topic of conversation was about, and a glass of white wine appeared in front of Jihoon. He took a small sip, rolling the rich flavour around in his mouth before he swallowed.   

“Ah, you know how to appreciate fine wine, Ebony.” Minghao smiled, swirling his glass.

Jihoon remembered the wine tasting lesson Mingyu had given him when he turned sixteen, but he didn’t mention it. Wine had been a luxury in his family, and he remembered being drunk after just one glass, waking up the next day with a huge migraine. For now, one sip was enough, or he’d end up in trouble (according to Hansol, Jihoon was a loud, confident drunk). But Jihoon was thirsty, so he sipped a bit more, his brain already going woozy. Maybe drinking water with a swirly straw like Seungcheol would be a more favourable idea…

“So, Master 8.” Chan cleared his throat, setting his thimble of water down.

“Any burning questions for me?” Minghao asked, swirling his wine glass a bit more. Jihoon took the chance to grab Seungcheol’s straw, pop it into his mouth to take a long drink of nice, cool water.

“Why do you have so many nicknames?” Seungcheol asked the only thing about Minghao that had been bothering him since the second they met him.

Minghao shrugged. “People gave them to me.”

“You must know a lot of people then.” Chan piped up.

“I help a lot of people.” Minghao said. Seungcheol glanced at Jihoon, who lay his head onto the counter.

“Perhaps…” Seungcheol gulped nervously. “Are you Batman?”

Minghao laughed, politely covering his mouth with his hand. “That’s an atrocious idea.”

Seungcheol fake-laughed nervously, hoping that their host wouldn’t feel uncomfortable at his random idea, but Minghao seemed to be deep in thought before he spoke again.

“But in some sense, maybe we’re similar. Just with different motivations. Both of us seek justice. Batman does it to protect the city he grew up in, but I seek justice for harmony between two beings.” Minghao paused for dramatic effect, taking a quick sip of his wine. “All is fair in love. Everyone deserves a partner. In a relationship, where there is discord and misunderstanding, I find it to be an injustice. So I right the wrongs, and balance back their harmony, their yin and yang. And to me, that’s justice.”

Chan’s eyes were glistening with tears as he clapped wildly at Minghao’s little speech, while Seungcheol clutched his heart. “Aww, that’s so romantic!”

“So…you’re a relationship counsellor.” Jihoon deadpanned. He sat up, but his head became dizzy – that one sip of wine was really doing his head in; he was a featherweight in drinking.

“Essentially, yes.” Minghao took another sip from his glass. “I help solve problems by martial arts. Or through fine wine, if the need arises.”

Chan played with the hem of his shirt. “So you do teach martial arts.”

“Of course. It’s what I grew up with.” Minghao smiled.

Seungcheol had a confused expression through it all, his eyebrows furrowed, trying to link all the information together. “I don’t really get it…” 

“Master Infinity Dragon8 Minghao, master of marital arts by martial arts, frog breeder, wine collector, and rising amateur painter.” Chan summed it all up.

“You’re correct, little one.” Minghao shot Chan a proud little grin. He then turned to Jihoon and Seungcheol with interest. “So, tell me your story.”

“What story?” Jihoon muttered, the beginnings of a headache wrapping his brain – he wasn’t up to tell anyone a story.

“How you met.”

Seungcheol excitedly fidgeted in his seat, eager to please. His cola-coloured eyes were sparkling as he reminisced his first meeting with Jihoon, a fond smile on his face. “We met in the plains! I miss it down there, it was really nice, but your place is nice too, Mister Master 8. And then somehow I just followed Jihoonie and now we’re here.”

Minghao took out a leather-bound notebook from his pocket, and flipped to a fresh page, writing on it with a fancy fountain pen.

“Is that right, Ebony?”

Jihoon held his head with both hands, nodding. “He follows whatever I say.” Which was partly true, because Seungcheol would never say no to him.

Minghao noted it down, nodding as he listened. He prompted for Jihoon to continue, but the boy was slumped over the counter, moaning. 

Meanwhile, Seungcheol was flicking some water at Chan with his purple straw, teasing the poor little pixie; both of them oblivious towards Jihoon’s discomfort.

Minghao pulled out balloons for everyone, changing techniques. He wanted to get Jihoon to talk, and based off past experience, people would talk if they were doing something with their hands. Besides, he needed to distract Seungcheol and Chan, so he could focus on nitpicking more information from Jihoon. “Here, have a balloon.”

“Can I have some water, please?” Jihoon looked up at Minghao with the saddest eyes. Minghao immediately poured a glass of water for his guest, who gulped the whole thing down in seconds, before asking for more.

Minghao started to feel concerned towards Jihoon, watching the boy drink his second glass of water. “Are you okay?”

“Not really.” Jihoon shot an annoyed glance at Seungcheol, who was being extremely loud, playing around with Chan and the balloons – their antics weren’t helping with his headache. Giving an alpaca and a pixie balloons probably wasn’t the best idea, as both of them ran into problems from the get-go – Seungcheol couldn’t pick the balloons up with his hooves, while Chan had trouble blowing air into his, which was of course, bigger than himself.

“Have a balloon. Let me teach you some balloon art. It may calm you down.” Minghao gave Jihoon a green balloon, who reluctantly accepted it. Seungcheol let out a laugh, and Jihoon gave him a sharp look. Minghao, of course, noticed the cold interaction between the pair, and could sympathise with Jihoon. What could be worse than a partner who didn’t pay attention to you when you were feeling awful? Minghao felt like slapping some sense into Seungcheol, but he had a job to do. Chan the tiny pixie had brought this unlikely couple to him as a problem to solve (even though the pixie had said nothing of the sort, Minghao could feel it in his very bones); and he had to get to the root of the problem quickly.

“I call this balloon art therapy.” Minghao said, blowing up his own balloon. He showed Jihoon how to make a balloon animal, twisting his balloon expertly with his hands, and voila!

“Yippee. Another notch to add on your belt, Master 8.” Jihoon said with envy, struggling with his own balloon, trying to twist it into shape the way Minghao had shown him.

Minghao picked up his leather notebook and pen, ready to psychoanalyse Jihoon once more. “Are you happy, Jihoon?”

“Not really.” Jihoon pouted, as his balloon bounced back into his original shape. He was trying to make a balloon alpaca and give it to Seungcheol, but balloon art was difficult – the risk of popping the balloon when twisting it into shape; plus, next to Jihoon, Seungcheol winced everytime he heard a squeak from the balloons. So no, Jihoon wasn’t very happy with his progress in balloon art, despite being a beginner (but Minghao made it look easy, and he looked cool, too!).

Minghao raised an eyebrow and wrote something down in his notebook, adding it to his case notes. “Have you had any arguments lately?”

Jihoon paused to think about it, racking his brain to cycle his memory. “Maybe. I don’t remember.” He thought about it again, suddenly remembering the time they met Chan. It had been a minor disagreement, when Seungcheol wanted to let Chan tag along with them up the mountains, but Jihoon had been against the idea. But he’d barely noticed Chan when they travelled as a trio; and he wouldn’t be sitting at Master8’s 8BAR with Seungcheol and Chan if things had gone differently. It was nice having extra company, though, since Chan was adept at looking for delicious berries, which Jihoon appreciated.

Maybe Chan’s pixie handbook had been right – travelling together was better.

“Oh, there was one time. About Chan. A few days ago.” Jihoon mentioned vaguely, twisting his balloon too hard that it was about to pop.

“Ah, your son.” Minghao nodded, adjusting his glasses.

“He’s not exactly my son.”

“I see.” The marital arts master scribbled something into his notebook – things were getting complicated…  

Minghao let his guests mess around with the balloons for a while more, thinking of a solution for a problem that his mind made up. He felt obligated to help, of course, since the tiny pixie had brought the couple to him. This wasn’t like his usual cases, where everything would be fixed after talking over fine wine. It was those rare ones, where he’ll have to use different methods to figure out the best approach to fix the problem.

If his final tactic didn’t work, he’d have to take desperate measures to salvage Ebony and Alpaca’s relationship. He was going to have to use reverse psychology to garner more information for his case notes – the current ones were starting to give him a headache; this was the most difficult case he’d ever had. Pouring another glass of wine for himself and Jihoon, he held up his glass for a toast.

“To the married couple.”

Seungcheol froze in his spot, while Jihoon laughed his guts out, slapping his knee. “We’re not married!”

Minghao looked shocked at the revelation, then he bowed his head in deep thought. A couple denying the true nature of their relationship – that was the last straw.

Seungcheol grinned nervously, glancing over at Jihoon, who was wiping away the tears from the corners of his eyes. “Wouldn’t it be weird for us to be married? Ha ha. No offence, Jihoon, I love you, but I think I’d be better off with a llama.”

“You’re an alpaca.” Chan interjected.

Jihoon stopped laughing, his expression turning to stone. Did Seungcheol just…reject him? Seungcheol would rather be with a llama than be with him? Not that they were about to make the leap from friends to lovers, but Seungcheol made Jihoon feel special, and that had to mean something, right? Right?

Seungcheol seemed flustered, panicking, looking for a way out that wouldn’t hurt Jihoon’s feelings. His Jihoon’s-not-okay senses were raising red flags, and it was all his fault. “Well, uh, inter-species weddings are okay, too!”

Minghao adjusted his glasses, a calm, understanding smile on his face. “Inter…” He gestures at Seungcheol, then turns to Jihoon. “…species.”

“Do you even know what interspecies means?” Chan asked Seungcheol.

“No! I panicked, okay?” Seungcheol whispered to Chan, before turning back to Jihoon. “Please don’t be mad at me, Jihoonie. I’m sorry.”

Minghao cleared his throat. “I understand the problem here clearly, gentlemen. And I have the solution.”

He finished writing his notes, snapping his notebook shut. “Interspecies relationships can be difficult. Trust and communication would be the key to a happy relationship, but from my evaluation, your troubles can be solved with my help.”

Seungcheol wasn’t listening, while Jihoon was deep in thought, still thinking about the way Seungcheol had llama-zoned him earlier. Minghao sighed – this was going to be hard.

“Gentlemen, if you would follow me.” Minghao pressed a hidden button under the bar, and another door slid open, leading outside. With a swish of his expensive coat, Minghao led his guests outside into the arena that Jihoon had spied earlier when they’d first arrived.

“Please enter the duelling arena.”

In confusion, Jihoon and Seungcheol entered the arena side by side, unsure of what was about to happen. It was just an open, sandy area surrounded by empty bleachers, which only Minghao and Chan occupied.

“Let the preliminary duel begin.” Minghao hit a gong, signalling the start.

“So what now?” Jihoon whispered towards Seungcheol, who shook his head.

“Fight!” Chan yelled, his voice echoing throughout the arena.

Seungcheol cracked his neck, shaking his limbs loose for a little warm-up; ready to give the crowd (read: Minghao and Chan) the duel they anticipated. “They asked for it.” He looked like he was ready to headbutt Jihoon out of the arena.

“Cheol!” Jihoon threw his hands out to protect himself, suddenly feeling scared. “You wouldn’t hurt me, right?”

Seungcheol scraped his hoof on the ground, trying to look like a bull ready to charge ahead. “They want a duel, Jihoon. Look at little TinkerChannie cheering for his life!”

They both turned to look at the pixie, who seemed miniscule next to Minghao. He was cheering both of them at once, alternating between their names, his little voice enhanced throughout the emptiness of the duelling arena.

“Let’s get it.” Seungcheol had a scarily determined look on his face, prepared to annihilate the boy he cared for the most in the whole wide world.

“Cheol. Please. Don’t.” Jihoon’s face was scrunched up in worry – if Seungcheol barrelled right at him, he’d end up being flattened like a pancake into the ground, and his body still hurt from the bad fall he had earlier. Seungcheol was a pretty sizable alpaca, which was why everyone always mistook him for a llama. A chill of fear ran down Jihoon’s bare back, and he suddenly felt cold all over – the steely killer look coming from the alpaca’s cola-coloured eyes frightened him.

“We gotta do this, Jihoonie.” Seungcheol said, almost cold-heartedly, walking back a few metres to gain some distance. 

Jihoon was already tearing up as he watched Seungcheol prepare to plough him down, scraping his hoof on the dirt over and over, unintentionally digging a little hole in the ground. Seungcheol would never do it, right? He was the sweetest person (read: alpaca) Jihoon has ever known, going out of his way to make sure that Jihoon was always comfortable, the silly jokes he made to get Jihoon to smile. To Jihoon, Seungcheol wasn’t just a travelling partner; he’d evolved into something a little bit more special: a friend (who made him feel all kinds of weird things at times).

But he remembered the way Seungcheol had easily rejected him, his brain reading too much into it. Maybe he really was a cold-hearted alpaca, a heartbreaker, who never really cared about Jihoon.  

Jihoon squeezed his eyes shut as Seungcheol galloped towards him, ready for the physical blow of Seungcheol’s betrayal. He could almost anticipate the pain; the sound of Seungcheol’s hooves hitting the ground so thunderous, it scared him. But Seungcheol abruptly stopped just millimetres away from Jihoon, approaching the boy slowly, his soft white fur brushing against the boy’s milky skin as he stood close in what seemed to be a hug.

“I’d never hurt you, Jihoonie.” Seungcheol gently rested his chin onto Jihoon’s head, his voice cracking. “Never, never, never.”

Jihoon wrapped his arms around Seungcheol’s neck, sobbing with relief into his soft fur. Seungcheol never changed, Seungcheol always took care of him; and he was never going to let the alpaca, his most precious partner, go.

So they there stood, in the middle of the arena, a black haired boy holding so tightly onto an alpaca as they wept their hearts out, silently promising to themselves to protect each other. Even Chan, watching from a distance in the bleachers, was deeply moved, choking up as he witnessed a moment of solidarity so magical and pure; he craved for a relationship like Jihoon and Seungcheol’s too.

“Ah, another marital problem solved.” Minghao said, taking a celebratory sip of wine.

“What was that about?” Chan’s eyes were tearing up, unable to tear his gaze off the pair hugging in the middle of the arena.

“Little one, I solve marital problems through martial arts.”

“But there wasn’t really a problem…” Chan started to say, but he stopped. He’d been travelling with Jihoon and Seungcheol for a couple of days, and they’d seemed normal, talking and joking around, occasionally including Chan, who sometimes felt like he was third wheeling. He knew he wasn’t oblivious, and there hadn’t been a problem between Jihoon and Seungcheol…was there?

“The couple were at the verge of splitting up. Didn’t you see the way they denied their marriage earlier?” Minghao raised an eyebrow, trying to convince Chan of his own made-up theory.

“But they aren’t married…I think.” Chan paused, glancing over to Jihoon and Seungcheol, only to catch them giggling over an inside joke, just like the way they’d always been.

“They’ve brainwashed you into thinking those kinds of things.” Minghao said nonchalantly, as Chan gripped his head in horror, thinking that Seungcheol may have nibbled his brains when he was asleep. “But they’re happy now. It’s sickeningly adorable.” The pair turned to look at Jihoon and Seungcheol, who were now shoving each other playfully, Jihoon’s happy laugh echoing throughout the arena.

“A celebratory dinner for the couple!” Minghao announced, as he stepped down the bleachers. His guests perked at the mention of food, and they followed their host inside to the grand dining room.

Jihoon looked up to the orange sky above – the day was ending, and beautifully, too. He kept a hand on Seungcheol’s back, absently fondling his fur, loving the way how soft it felt through his fingers.

“Aren’t you cold, Jihoonie?” Seungcheol nuzzled Jihoon’s chest – the boy had been shirtless for about 96% of the time they’d spent at Minghao’s dojo that day.

Jihoon instinctively leapt back, laughing. “That tickles.”

Right then, Minghao’s house elf poofed right in front of them, clutching a black shirt that belonged to Jihoon, handing it back to its owner. The house elf skittered away before Jihoon could express his thanks, so he quickly pulled it on, joining Minghao and Chan in the dining area.

Minghao’s dining area was a cosy little round table in the kitchen, a contrast to the grandness of the rest of the mansion. It reminded Jihoon of home, sitting at the table for dinner with the three dwarves; only that now, he was with three new friends, sharing stories and food – a different kind of home. It was a familiar, yet unfamiliar feeling at the same time, but Jihoon liked the togetherness that food brought (in fact, food was the thing that brought him and Seungcheol together).

The small table was laden with so many delicious dishes, and Jihoon had a taste of them all. It had been a while since he’d eaten homemade food, and he was focusing too much on his food to notice the little argument Seungcheol and Chan were having next to him.

“Ask Mister Master 8 that you wanna train here.” Seungcheol said, over his steaming bowl of rice.

“I’m kind of scared to ask him, though.” Chan threw a quick glance at Minghao, then hid his face behind his thimble of water.

“He won’t eat you, TinkerChannie.” Seungcheol smiled. “Go ahead. I’ll back you up if you need me.”  

Minghao was slicing a piece of chicken with a table knife, giving off an intimidating aura, that Chan almost had second thoughts. By now, Jihoon was already tuned into Seungcheol and Chan’s little conversation, after he stole a bowl of rice right from underneath Seungcheol’s nose.

“Ask him.” Jihoon hissed, giving Chan a death glare. He didn’t climb up the mountains all the way for Chan to chicken out at the very last second; after all he’d been through that day – falling off the side of a mountain, discovering Minghao’s heavenly dojo, and being wrongly assumed as being married to an alpaca who was just his travelling partner (or more).

Chan nodded, and cleared his throat, wishing that his heart would stop beating so fast. This felt more nerve-wracking than a wedding proposal, but it had those vibes, though there weren’t any romantic sentiments. “Ah, Master 8, sir, I was wondering, if you could teach me martial arts.”

Minghao set his cutlery down, wiping his mouth. “I am professionally trained in kung fu, wushu, judo, taekwondo and aikido. Which one do you want to learn?”

Chan practically had stars in his eyes, his dream practically coming true. “All of them, please.”

Minghao nodded, with a small smile on his face. “That can be arranged. I can teach you personally, and you’ll have to board here at my dojo. It will be gruelling, but worth it.”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you, Master 8!” Chan bowed to the martial arts master several times in gratitude. “I’ll do my best. I’ll be your best student.”

“He’s very passionate.” Seungcheol whispered to Jihoon, who nodded in agreement.  

Watching the pixie thank Minghao profusely made Jihoon feel like a proud parent watching his child grow up, achieving his dreams. If Chan kept his passion; always giving his best in doing the things he loved the most, he’d be happy for a long, long time. And it had been _that_ simple to ask Minghao – he’s a professional, of course he’d be willing to impart knowledge to those who seek for it.

Jihoon raised his glass, which was filled with juice, as he requested. “A toast.”

Minghao and Chan followed suit, holding up their drinks, while Seungcheol smiled fondly at Jihoon, anticipating his next words.  

“To Chan, and to eternal success and happiness.” Jihoon pronounced, with a small smile on his face.

Dinner was a heartwarming affair, the closeness of it all making Jihoon miss home even more. Seungcheol kept stealing Jihoon’s food off his plate (in revenge for that bowl of rice); not that he minded. Minghao told worldly stories to his guests about his adventures

Soon the food was finished, and no more stories were to be shared. The four of them sat around the dinner table, nursing their full bellies.

“Time to retire, I suppose.” Minghao stood up. “Let me show you to your rooms.”

Everyone followed their host to the rows of guest rooms, crossing the courtyard, where Minghao’s bred frogs were singing a serenade to the moon shining brightly in the dark sky.  

“Thanks for the wonderful dinner, Master 8.” Chan said, flying right next to his new mentor.

“It’s a pleasure.” Minghao said, as he stopped at a door, opening it. “Here’s your room, little one.”

It was a fairly simple room with a bed and a dresser; and Chan practically made a crash landing on the bed, wiped out after such an eventful day. He looked almost microscopic as he crawled under the blankets of the queen-sized bed. Jihoon helped to tuck him in, arranging the blankets and fluffing the pillows.

“Good night, TinkerChannie.” Seungcheol nuzzled his nose against the pixie’s little head. “Rest well.”

Chan was asleep in 0.13 seconds, snoring like an elephant as Minghao flicked the light off, shutting the door gently behind him.

“Your room is at the end of the hallway. You’ll find the rest of your belongings inside, Ebony.”

 Jihoon opened the door, and was amazed by the lavishness of it all. Chan’s room looked like a pauper’s compared to theirs – a king sized bed with satin covers, a large mirror hanging from one wall; and an en suite, fully marble bathroom. Jihoon’s bag sat on the antique carved dresser, looking so measly in a room fit for a king. Seungcheol skittered towards the mirror, immediately checking his reflection. 

“You’re free to use any of the items inside the room. The walls are soundproof, by the way.” Minghao gave the pair a knowing smirk before he shut the door, leaving them alone in the room.

“What’s this?” Seungcheol noticed a little piece of rubber on the bed.

Jihoon had enough sex education to know what it was in a millisecond – a condom – and a blush bloomed onto his face instantly. He wouldn’t mind sharing a bed with Seungcheol, but to have sex? Nope, he wasn’t ready for that, though the idea seemed tempting…but maybe a little too weird?

“Oh, it’s a tiny balloon for TinkerChannie!” Seungcheol picked it up with his mouth. “He’s already asleep, I’ll give it to him tomorrow.” He laid it on the nightstand, right next to a giant bottle of lube.

“I’m tired.” Jihoon said, hoping that Seungcheol wouldn’t notice the obvious innuendo Minghao had left lying around the room – was that a leather whip on the dresser?  

“Let’s just go to sleep.” Seungcheol suppressed a yawn, and Jihoon let out a little sigh of relief. Or should he be worried, that Seungcheol was a bit slow? The condom, the lube, the whip – maybe he’ll find a drawer full of sex toys if he even bothered to search. He already had a copy of the _Kama Sutra_ in his bag, so they could just go at it like rabbits tonight and skip a good night’s sleep!

No, if he was going to have sex, he was going to do it by his own choice, and not be pressured by some marital arts master. The first time should always be special; and Seungcheol seemed oblivious to the sex references in the room, so there was no use forcing him, too.

(Also, how do you have sex with an alpaca? But that would be a question for next time.)

Jihoon felt hot all over, just thinking about intercourse. Seungcheol seemed too innocent for it; so Jihoon abandoned the idea. Maybe if he got to sleep earlier, he’d calm down and stop thinking about sex… 

“I’m gonna turn off the lights.” Jihoon said decidedly, his hand on the light switch. He was actually tired, after an eventful day, and he was sure that Seungcheol would be, too.

“Wait!” Seungcheol jumped into bed, closing his eyes. “Okay, you can switch it off now.”

Jihoon did, then he walked blindly through the dark towards the bed, kicking his shoes off before he crawled under the blankets. It felt weird lying in the dark next to someone he was expected to have sex with, but Jihoon banished those thoughts away.

“This is nice.” Seungcheol said from beside him. “Are you asleep yet?”

“I miss my own bed.” Jihoon relaxed a lot more, enjoying the soft mattress underneath him. After a few days on the road, roughing it out at night, sleeping under the stars, this bed was a luxury. In a matter of seconds, Seungcheol was already snoring lightly next to him, already fast asleep.

Jihoon’s thoughts drifted over to Minghao and his misguided attempt to ‘help’ them. The marital arts master had assumed that Chan was the middleman for the ‘troubled’ couple – himself and Seungcheol. Maybe Minghao noticed a few flaws in their relationship that they both didn’t notice themselves, and fixed it for them, because Jihoon felt like a brand new person after almost being rammed into the ground by Seungcheol himself, but the fact that the alpaca didn’t, touched his heart.

And this luxury guest suite was probably set up for them to have make-up sex or something, but there hadn’t been any discord between Jihoon and Seungcheol (wrongfully diagnosed by Master 8), and the fact that they weren’t a couple and therefore weren’t having sex; thus, there was absolutely no need for make-up sex.

Nope.

Absolutely not.

It was a weird form of relationship counselling (that they never needed), but it was effective to some degree – it had made Jihoon realise that he’ll never abandon Seungcheol in this lifetime. 

Jihoon rolled over to look at Seungcheol’s peaceful sleeping form, watching his slow, rhythmic breathing. Snuggling closer, reached out to tangle his fingers through Seungcheol’s silky white fur with a sleepy smile on his face, with one last thought before he fell asleep: _you’re the most precious person I’ve ever met._

* * *

Morning rolled around, and Jihoon woke up to an empty room. Seungcheol’s side of the bed was creased – he’d probably be around somewhere, either peeing or looking for food. Jihoon ventured down the hallway, peeking into Chan’s room, which was empty too, so he headed outside to get some fresh morning air.

Dewdrops hung off the leaves of the plants that grew in the courtyard, and right next to the pond, Seungcheol was doing tai chi exercises with Minghao’s house elf, trying to twist himself into different positions.

“Good morning, Jihoonie!” Seungcheol grinned, his neck looped under one of his legs in a painful-looking manner. “Tai chi is cool. You should try it.” Jihoon only offered a little smile, not moving from his spot.

“Chan told me that the both of you have a quest to continue.” Minghao appeared behind Jihoon, resting a hand on the boy’s shoulder. Today he looked even more fashionable, wearing a beret and an oversized plaid shirt, paired with skinny jeans and expensive designer sneakers. “It’s best if you continue your journey, after breakfast.”

“Right.” Seungcheol had forgotten his initial quest of following Jihoon to the Glass Palace, where secrets would be revealed. Of course, the alpaca was just along for the ride, not knowing why Jihoon was heading to the Glass Palace in the first place.

Minghao invited everyone along for breakfast, a traditional Chinese affair of congee and dumplings and soy milk. He insisted on giving Jihoon and Seungcheol the leftovers for the remainder of their journey, filling up Jihoon’s backpack to the brim, and giving Seungcheol a little bag to carry all the extra food.

The dojo was even more heavenly in the morning light, with birds chirping their morning songs; Minghao’s frogs providing their own harmony with their low croaks. The grass in the garden looked greener, and flowers were blooming, providing a rainbow of beautiful colours that made Jihoon’s heart feel at ease. He had half a mind to beg Minghao to let him stay for a little while more, so he could enjoy the tranquillity of the surroundings.

“I think it’s a good photography day.” Minghao said, appreciating the beauty of nature spread out in front of them. “Where will you be heading next?” He asked Jihoon conversationally, holding the stem of his wine glass delicately. It was only nine in the morning, but the martial arts master was already drinking, enjoying the rich flavour of one of his precious wines.  

“The Glass Palace.” Jihoon replied, his heart fluttering as he said the words.

“Ah. Of course.” Minghao understood immediately. “You don’t mind leaving your son here?”

“He’ll be in good hands.” Jihoon smiled, as he watched Chan giving Seungcheol a hug.

“Don’t worry about your son. Just focus on your own quest, and I’m sure you’ll find happiness with Seungcheol.”

Jihoon blushed at Minghao’s words. “Thanks, Master 8.”

“Do we really have to go back through that scary cave?” Seungcheol asked, looking towards the huge waterfall that hid the cave entrance.

“Oh, there’s an easier way. Follow me, gentlemen.” With a swish of his coat, Minghao led his guests to the back of the house, heading towards the rocky mountain wall that protected the dojo from the outside world. There was a metal door in the wall, and Minghao wedged it open to reveal a tunnel. Seungcheol shuddered, hovering closely to Jihoon, as usual; hoping that there wouldn’t be bats inside this tunnel, too.

“This is the longest slide in all the land, and at the end, you’ll find yourselves in the Forest of Oaks. From there, head east to the Crystal Sea.” Minghao instructed, pressing a switch. The tunnel instantly lit up so brightly; the ground padded by a slippery plastic slide that served as the quickest exit route from Minghao’s dojo. “There aren’t any bats, don’t worry.” Seungcheol let out a sigh of relief at that final statement.

“Alpacas first.” Chan grinned teasingly at Seungcheol.

Seungcheol huffed, sitting on the edge of the slide, but a tiny nudge from Chan sent him screaming down the tunnel, taking him less than as second to disappear round the first bend, of many in the rollercoaster-like tunnel.

“Take care, Ebony. Good luck on the quest.”

“Thanks so much, Master 8.”

“Do visit us!” Chan waved goodbye, feeling sad that his travel buddies were leaving.

Jihoon nodded and sat on the slide, gripping the straps of his backpack. The tunnel ahead was well lit and he could still hear Seungcheol screaming on his way down. Taking a deep breath, Jihoon pushed himself down the slide, zipping his way down the well-lit tunnel at top speed, the G-force almost ripping his head off at the sharp turns of the tunnel. He didn’t know how far he was going, and how long he’d been in the tunnel, when suddenly, he was already freefalling in the open air, heading towards a large trampoline strategically placed as a crash pad for those who used the slide from Minghao’s dojo.

His hair was a mess, but the trampoline had softened his landing. Jihoon had the biggest smile on his face – that was the most insane ride he’d been on, in all his life! The speed of the slide, and the way it ended abruptly, almost scaring him as he fell freely onto the trampoline – the way Minghao had designed the slide was simply genius.

Seungcheol was already bouncing on the trampoline, laughing as he sensed Jihoon’s exhilaration. “That was fun, right? Can we go again?”

The mountains that housed Minghao’s dojo seemed so far away; it was hard to believe that they’d travelled such a distance in a short time. Around them were numerous oak trees – they were in the Forest of Oaks, just as Minghao had told them. “Maybe next time, Cheol. We’ve got to get to the Glass Palace.”

“Fine. We’ll visit TinkerChannie after quest, right?” Seungcheol followed Jihoon, stepping off the trampoline onto the carpet of green grass.

“By then he’ll probably learn how to kick your butt.” Jihoon pulled out his compass from his pocket, trying to search for the right direction - east. “This way.” He reached out to touch Seungcheol’s back, guiding him to the correct way. It had been almost automatic – Jihoon needed to touch Seungcheol, feeling reassured when the alpaca was close. Up ahead, the Forest of Oaks looked eerie; the branches from the trees growing so low they almost touched the ground. It was an area full of foliage, that the sun didn’t even reach the forest floor, leaving dark shadows everywhere. Who knew what lay in the dark, even if it was daytime…?

Jihoon glanced at Seungcheol, who gave him a tiny reassuring nod. At least, they had each other, so they were going to be fine. Jihoon kept his hand on Seungcheol’s back as they stepped forward, disappearing between the oak trees together, heading east, continuing their journey to the Glass Palace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [cheol's banana song (lmao)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyLf7XuwpFw)
> 
> pls leave a comment down below if you read this chapter; i welcome and greatly appreciate feedback! <3  
> 

**Author's Note:**

> snow hoonie anime ending song (lol): [one half - gfriend](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzhD8x0Rdtw)
> 
> idk this song really suits the overall vibe of the fic hehe :)
> 
> also don't forget to leave a kudos/comment :)


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